Miriam's reso seeks charges vs Ebdane over road tax mess

Graft charges over the multibillion-peso road users’ tax mess threaten to haunt former Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. in his presidential bid next year. Senate economic affairs committee head Miriam Defensor Santiago said she plans to deliver a sponsorship speech on her resolution recommending the graft charges before the Senate Monday. “Meron na kaming committee report, matagal na naka-submit yan for my sponsorship speech para makaboto ang buong Senado. Ang ating ire-rekomenda doon, idemanda ang mga Road Board at Road Board Secretariat ," she said in an interview on dzBB radio Sunday. (Our committee report had already been submitted. It recommends charges against the Road Board and its secretariat.) She said she had put off the sponsorship speech earlier in deference to tragedies caused by recent cyclones. While Santiago did not name the other officials who may be charged, she said Ebdane as Road Board chairman, and Rodolfo Puno as executive director of the Road Board, are among those liable. Of the two, Puno has more explaining to do since he should have supervised the disbursement of funds, she said. Santiago said Ebdane and the Road Board had repeatedly ignored the Commission on Audit’s instructions to explain irregular expenses amounting to billions of pesos from 2001 to 2008. “Simula 2001 hanggang 2008, ayaw nila magpaliwanag. Di naman pwede yan (They refused to explain the irregularities from 2001 to 2008. That should not be the case)." Citing COA records, Santiago said the Road Board incurred more than P1 billion in overdraft. “Gastos ng gastos di naintindihan magkano ang balanse nila (It spent and spent, without considering the balance left)," she said. Santiago said the recommendation for the Ombudsman to file charges against the Road Board officials is also because Congress cannot look into the Road Board’s books, as its funds are excluded in the national budget. Also, Santiago said the Senate resolution may propose amendments to the Road Users Tax law, to include funds for the Road Board under the national budget. - GMANews.TV