Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda was clueless about the alleged P6.5 billion insertion made in the agency’s budget this year.
‘None, not that I know of, because we’re within our NEP [National Expenditure Program],’ Aguda told reporters in an interview at the Senate on Tuesday.
He was asked about Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co’s earlier claim that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), among the agencies that supposedly received a total of P18.768 billion from the P100 billion worth of insertions made in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
According to Co, who previously headed the House appropriations committee, the P100- billion insertion was made at the request of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
A list of alleged insertions the resigned lawmaker made public last week showed that P5 billion went to the DICT’s Free Public Internet Access Program (FPIAP) while another P1.5 billion was allotted for its eGovernment Systems Development.
Though he said he has yet see and study Co’s claim, Aguda promised to review the budget of the agency this year.
‘But to my knowledge right now, since we’re in the budget process, there doesn’t seem to be anything. It’s the same NEP we had before. If there are any corrections, I’ll let you know,’ he stressed.
The DICT chief noted this is the first time that he would be handling the agency’s budget. He was just appointed by Marcos to head the DICT in March 2025.
‘The previous one wasn’t my NEP anyway,’ Aguda pointed out.
However, when told that the P5 billion insertion in the DICT supposedly went to its FPIAP, particularly to finance the rollout of the Common Tower Project in pilot areas, Aguda surmised Co was probably referring to their ‘Bayanihan SIM’ project.
‘So what would be the problem there, the bidders are major telcos – Globe, Smart, PLDT – and these are listed companies? So if that’s what he’s saying, I’m still not sure,’ he said.
Under the Bayanihan SIM project, the DICT targets to provide 1 million SIM cards to beneficiaries in geographically isolated and displaced areas or Gidas.
Aguda said the public is free to scrutinize DICT’s transactions, noting that all its biddings anyway have been livestreamed on its Facebook since March or even before Marcos ordered all agencies to open transparency portals that would allow the public to monitor their projects.
‘The more people looking into government transactions naman the better.’ he said.