Liza pinanigan ng SC vs COA case

SHOWBIZ KONEK
ni Maricris Valdez

“This means a lot to me coz inilaban namin talaga.” Ito ang natanggap naming mensahe mula sa dating Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Liza Dino ukol sa kaso ng Commission on Audit (COA) sa paggamit ng pandemic aid sa kanilang mga worker.

Kinatigannga ng SC ang petisyon ni Liza na humihiling na baligtarin ang notice of disallowance ng COA na may petsang March 8, 2021.

Ipinag-utos ng COA sa FDCP na ibalik ang P876,896 na financial assistance sa mga empleado na tinamaan ng pandemya noong 2021 sa kaban ng gobyeno.

Ani Liza, pinagbigyan ng SC ang kanyang petisyon na kumukuwestiyon sa validity ng notice of disallowances vis-a-vis ng COA sa Civil Service memorandum circular sa disbursement para sa financial at healthcare assistance bilang tugon sa COVID-19 pandemic matapos i-audit ng komisyon na iginiit sa dating FDCP chair na ibalik ang nasabing halaga sa gobyerno.

Ayon sa bahaging inilabas na desisyon ng Korte Suprema, “Petitioners…are all EXCUSED from the solidary liability to return the total disallowed amount of P876,896.87. As for the officers and employees of the FDCP who individually received the financial and healthcare assistance, they are likewise excused from the obligation to return the amounts they respectively received.”

Sinabi naman ni Liza na, “Salamat. This means a lot to me coz inilaban po namin talaga na hindi pabayaran sa staff ‘yung support na we gave to them all in the name of their safety and health.”

May post din sa kanyang Facebook account si Liza ukol sa usaping ito: Narito ang kabuuang post ng dating FDCP Chair. 

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭

“I want to share something deeply personal something I’ve quietly fought since the pandemic began.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, I secured prepaid health cards and provided grocery aid to my FDCP employees. Most of them were on contract of service, without the same benefits regular employees enjoy. My goal was simple: to make sure that if they were hospitalized or struggled during lockdown, they would be cared for.

“The Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed this expense, saying it was not allowed under existing rules. They ordered me and my management to personally return almost ₱880,000 in aid healthcare and groceries already given to over 100 employees. The most painful part? If I had followed their ruling, my own employees  the very people this was meant to protect — would have been forced to return the assistance they had already used to survive.

“I fought this case all the way to the Supreme Court because I knew my intention was to protect my people, not to break rules. This was humanitarian assistance an act of leadership and compassion in a time of crisis  not abuse.

“Two days ago, we received the decision (issued in January)  the Supreme Court ruled in my favor, recognizing my actions as being in the name of social justice.

𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

“Rules are important. They exist to set parameters and prevent abuse. But when they are applied without understanding why they exist and the people they are meant to serve, they can become restrictive and even punitive  punishing acts done in good faith.

“Inilaban po namin na hindi pabayaran sa mga empleyado ‘yung support na naibigay na sa kanila because this was given in the name of their safety and health.

“In a time when billions are lost to anomalous, government-sanctioned projects, this case may seem small. But for me, it’s vindication — proof that integrity matters, and that public service should always be about protecting people, not hiding behind rules.

“Ang COA dapat hinahabol ‘yung mga nagnanakaw ng kabuhayan at kaligtasan ng sambayanang Pilipino hindi ang mga lider na inuuna ang kapakanan ng mga tao.

“This fight has always been bigger than me. It’s for every worker who deserves real protection, and for every leader who chooses compassion over mere compliance. Because protecting people, especially in times of crisis, will always matter more than blind compliance.

“Thank you, Atty. Regie, for believing in me from day one and standing by the principle that this was never just about seeing things in black and white. You understood right away that what we gave our employees during the pandemic was not redundancy, but a humanitarian response to protect their safety and well-being.

“Grateful that you were fully on board from the start, and that you carried this fight with me all the way to the Supreme Court.

“To Ria, when the time came to decide whether we would take this all the way to the Supreme Court, you didn’t hesitate. You understood that this fight was about more than following the rulebook  it was about standing up for our people when it mattered most.

“Thank you for your courage and for sharing this commitment until the very end.

“To my FDCP staff, salamat for trusting me to keep fighting even when it felt hopeless. And to the Supreme Court thank you for seeing the value of what was done in the spirit of social justice.”