The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) appears to be speeding up the release of pork barrel funds to senators and congressmen, many of whom are seeking reelection or other posts in next month’s polls.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has exempted pork barrel funds from the ban on the release of money from the national treasury provided these are not used for election purposes.
As of last Friday, the DBM website showed that a total of P10.6 billion of the P25-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) had already been released. PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel.
The P10.6 billion is almost double the P5.8 billion that was out as of March 8, or less than a month ago.
Of the P10.6 billion, P9.4 billion has been made available to members of the House of Representatives and P1.2 billion to senators.
Of the amount released to House members, P7.6 billion was for those elected from legislative districts and P1.8 billion for party-list groups.
Among the recipient-lawmakers are senatorial candidates of the administration Team PNoy coalition and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The biggest recipient is reelectionist Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III of Team PNoy, who has received P167.3 million.
Senate colleagues Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Antonio Trillanes IV, who are also seeking reelection under the administration coalition, have received P90.5 million, P88.8 million, P7.3 million, and P30 million, respectively.
Some P50 million has been released to another Team PNoy senatorial candidate, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara.
UNA candidates are also getting their share of the pork barrel. Sen. Gregorio Honasan has received P54 million, while Reps. Joseph Victor Ejercito of San Juan and Jack Enrile of Cagayan have received P32 million and P15 million, respectively.
The campaign managers of the administration and the opposition are also getting their share. Some P41 million has been made available to Sen. Franklin Drilon of Team PNoy and P16 million to his UNA counterpart, Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco.
Other senators who have received their allocations are Edgardo Angara, P80.2 million; Pia Cayetano, P12.1 million; Jinggoy Estrada, P95.5 million; Juan Ponce Enrile, P5 million; Teofisto Guingona III, P31.2 million; Ferdinand Marcos Jr., P51 million; Sergio Osmeña III, P82.5 million; Francis Pangilinan, P98 million; Ralph Recto, P23 million; and Manuel Villar Jr., P49.5 million.
Vicente Sotto III and Lito Lapid have availed themselves of their full half-year allocation of P100 million each.
There are no entries in the DBM website for Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ramon Revilla Jr., while Joker Arroyo and Panfilo Lacson have not been using their annual P200-million fund since their election to the Senate more than 11 years ago.
Party-list groups that have been disqualified by the Comelec are among the recipients of pork barrel funds.
These groups have questioned the Comelec decision before the Supreme Court, which has decided to return their cases to the poll body with a new set of parameters for qualifying or disqualifying them.
They have received their share of pork barrel funds even if the Comelec insists on their disqualification.
They include Ako Bicol, which has received P90 million; Alliance for Democracy and Nationalism, P35 million; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives, P35 million; and 1st Consumers’ Alliance for Rural Energy, P69.8 million.
Meanwhile, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the Aquino administration should tap pork barrel funds to finance programs under the Magna Carta for the Poor.
“If they are going to utilize (pork barrel) properly, it will really help the poor and not coursed it through the hands of legislators because that is not their job,” said Pabillo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace.
Last month, President Aquino vetoed the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor, explaining that it would be a “mission impossible” for the government to allocate around P3.3 trillion from the P2-trillion annual national budget to fund the programs outlined in the bill. – With Evelyn Macairan, The Philippine Star
