In a statement, the Office of the Ombudsman said the complaint stemmed from Abad’s issuance of National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 541 provided the principal bases for the withdrawal of unobligated allotments which were declared as savings and used to fund PAPs (programs, activities and projects) under the DAP. The withdrawal of unobligated allotments of agencies with low levels of obligations as of June 30, 2012 was authorized, the Ombudsman said. The Ombudsman’s office also found Abad administratively liable for simple misconduct and ordered his three-month suspension, which is convertible to a fine equivalent to his salary for three months considering that he is no longer in the service. The High Court also declared unconstitutional the transfer of the savings of the Executive branch to augment other offices’ appropriations.

Source: Manila Times March 07, 2017 16:30 UTC