NOTES ON THE BEAT Flood control mess sparks Cabinet shakeup

More than just writing stories and reporting on current events, journalism is about persistence.

- - Marco Luis Beech

For months, journalists have covered the flood control mess tied to the budget allocated to fund such projects. During the investigation, several officials close to President Marcos have been named as allegedly involved in the fiasco.

A Cabinet shakeup loomed amid the administration’s investigation.

Last September, the President’s then executive secretary, Lucas Bersamin, refuted claims made by a former public works undersecretary that implicated him in an unprogrammed appropriation that would have resulted in a 15-percent allocation for his office.

On Nov. 15, Bilyonaryo reported that Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto was the leading contender to possibly assume the post held by Bersamin.

The following day, Bersamin dismissed the report and told journalists that his departure from the Cabinet was “not true until it actually happens.”

A day later, it did happen.

Clueless

The Senate held its second day of budget hearings on Nov. 17, with the Development Budget Coordination Committee in attendance, composed of heads of the Department of Finance and the Department of Budget and Management, among others.