The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has vehemently denied that its officials sitting as members of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Inc. board of directors are receiving fat and windfall per diems and allowances.
In a much-delayed response to the Daily Tribune, the BSP said “the allowances are not fat since these are the aggregates over a two-year period.”
The Tribune immediately asked last July 17 the two deputy governors — Nestor Espenilla and Juan de Zuñiga — and the governor — Amando Tetangco — to comment on the matter but the reply was only sent July 19. “PICC will issue a statement on this,” said De Zuñiga, deputy governor for resource management sector and general counsel.
In a report by this paper, it was the Commission on Audit (CoA) that revealed the BSP official sitting on the PICC board got P593,000 last 2010 and more than P700,000 last year “without President Aquino knowing it.”
“What I know is that the allowances are not fat since they are the aggregate over a two-year period; that the position of PICC is that they are not required to get presidential approval since it is the subsidiary of the BSP, which has autonomy.
“And that the PICC has basis to request for reconsideration of CoA findings,” De Zuñiga explained. When asked who and how many officials of BSP sitting as members of the PICC board, De Zuñiga replied “the BSP governor.”   
When his comment was asked about the sky high allowance, a very irked Tetangco only replied: “I am told De Zuñiga has responded to your question.” BSP, then known as Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP), financed the construction of PICC from 1974 to 1976 upon directive from then president Ferdinand Marcos.
Under Presidential Decree 520, Marcos authorized the CBP to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that purpose and organize a corporation to manage a conference center.
PICC was constructed from November 1974 to September 1976, with famed architect and National Artist Leandro Locsin doing the design.