House Speaker calls for Accountability on Covid-19 Pandemic Response Delays

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has called on his fellow representatives to work on measures for more accountability and faster delivery of services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We can continue to discuss how to hold people accountable not for the sake of being accountable, but to give people better services,” said Cayetano to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and the Defeat COVID-19 Adhoc Committee.

In his speech before Congress adjourned sine die last week, Cayetano demanded accountability for failures and delays in implementing the government’s coronavirus pandemic response.

He urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure a better and smoother system of distributing the second tranche of the P100-billion Social Amelioration Program to low-income families.

He appealed to Assistant Secretaries, Undersecretaries and Regional Directors of various Departments to help their Secretaries deliver efficient and effective service and veer away from bureaucratic procedures that cause delays in the distribution of SAP and other services and benefits provided by the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

He also reminded government officials of President Rodrigo Duterte's mantra in serving the people.

“Simple lang po sinasabi niya: ‘wag paiintayin ang tao, ibigay ang tamang serbisyo. Ganun din naman po ngayon. Nung naging Presidente siya at wala pang COVID, ‘di ba, sabi niya, ‘wag pong tatagal ang papeles sa mesa ng public official. Walang corruption dapat,” he said.

(What he said is simple: don’t make the people wait, give the right service. The same applies today. When he became President and there was no COVID, he said, public officials must not keep papers on their desks for long. There should be no corruption)

A number of lawmakers filed separate resolutions to probe alleged anomalies and mishandling of the SAP implementation. They also called for faster disbursement of the second tranche.