President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday called on citizens to also do their part in safeguarding public funds amid corruption controversies in the government.
During the anniversary of the Ateneo Professional Schools on Wednesday night, Aquino said that the problem does not lie on the type of funds or system in place.
He explained that like any tool, funds like the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) are not evil.
“A car can be useful to transport you from here to there. If you’re a mad man you run over people it can be bad,” he said.
What’s important, he said, is that there are trustworthy officials and that all branches of government are coordinating with each other.
Because of this, he said citizens should choose their officials properly. “It starts with the quality of the politicians we elect into office,” he said.
“We should be the ones that who would tell all of functionaries who were given parang the privilege of exercising these powers on our behalf, parang di ba, they should be directed as to what should and shouldn’t be done,” he added.
And after their election, he said the public should help officials monitor how public funds are being spent.
“They are the eyes and ears on all of these government projects as another check and balance,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I really think that the best check will be how the people treat the whole issue,” he added. — ELR, GMA News
