MMDA accepting Chavit’s P200K reward 'illegal', says CSC

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) violated the law when it accepted the P200,000 reward money that Luis "Chavit" Singson offered to traffic enforcers who flagged his convoy for using the EDSA Busway, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said Monday.

CSC Commissioner Aileen Lizada said such an act is illegal, citing Section 7 of Republic Act (RA) No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Section 7 of RA No. 6713 states that “public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office”.

“Kung maraming magva-violate ang magbibigay ng pera kasi hinuli sila at ilalagay sa General Fund, there will be now another source of money coming in na dapat ho hindi,”  Lizada told PTV-4’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

(If violators offer rewards for their violations, then there will be another source of money coming in and that’s wrong.)

“Bayad na kami, ang aming sweldo, ng taumbayan. You don't have to reward us for doing our work,” she explained.

(We are paid through taxes paid by citizens. You don’t have to reward us for doing our work.)

“Sa pananaw ko po…sa Batas 6713, bawal po,” Lizada added.

(Under RA 6713, it is wrong.)

In a press briefing, MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes confirmed the agency accepted the reward money that Singson offered. However, he said However, he said the money will be allocated to the MMDA general funds.

“‘Yung binigay ni Gov. Chavit na P200,000 ay pupunta sa General Fund ng MMDA, di po ‘yan id-distribute sa partikular na tao o grupo. Ico-consider po ‘yan na donation sa ahensya, not for a specific purpose but pupunta sa General Fund na kailangan i-allocate ng Metro Manila Council bago gastusin,” Artes said.

(The P200,000 cash will go to the MMDA General Fund. We will not distribute that to any particular groups or individuals. We will consider it as a donation that the MMC needs to allocate before we can use it.)

“No strings attached po ‘yan, hindi po ibig sabihin na pwede na dumaan si Gov. Chavit sa Busway. Wala pong exemption ‘yan,” he pointed out.

(There are no strings attached to that. It doesn’t mean that Gov. Chavit now has the right to use the EDSA Busway.)

Singson last week offered a P100,000 cash reward to the MMDA enforcers who accosted him for the unauthorized use of the EDSA Busway on April 8.

He later increased it to P200,000 and personally visited the MMDA main office in Pasig City earlier to turn over the money which the agency does not consider a "reward" but as a "donation".

"Hindi po reward, donation po sa agency na niresibuhan at mapupunta sa general fund ng MMDA," said MMDA chief information officer Sharon Gentalian.—RF, GMA Integrated News