Noy accuses GMA of involvement in ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has accused former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam in 2007 to 2009.

Speaking on television last week, Aquino said the P70-million and P200-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations for lawmakers were “established for a worthy goal” to help remote local communities put up development projects.

“(The problem) was the collusion among a former president ready to trade favors just to remain in power, legislators, and members of the bureaucracy who were willing to conspire, enabled by a passive and indifferent citizenry,” he said.

Aquino said the public was outraged because the previous administration treated the PDAF as its own private fund to use as it pleases.

“All these factors put together make the PDAF prone to abuse,” he said.

“We need to make sure the system can no longer be abused. This is clearly wrong: What is involved here is the people’s money; it should be for the benefit of the people, and not for the benefit of a few greedy individuals.”

Speaking to reporters, Aquino said he would prefer a conviction in the soon-to-be-filed criminal charges against lawmakers accused of abusing their pork barrel funds before his term ends in 2016.

 â€œSo I really don’t think that we can have any conviction under my term,” he said.

“I’m told that for one case to be finished will take around three to five years. At the very minimum, cases will be filed – and that is my expectation. And I will be on their case, hopefully, especially for those under the executive (department).”

Aquino said it would be prudent to ask Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and Commission on Audit Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan to accelerate the process of investigation and the filing of charges.

“We want to have a clear example that crime does not pay,” he said.

COA asked to probe Malampaya fund

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares has asked the COA to investigate the Malampaya fund, the biggest source of presidential pork.

In a statement, Colmenares said the Malampaya fund is comprised of payments of Caltex and Shell to the government for extracting natural gas in Malampaya off  Palawan.

The Malampaya fund is kept in Special Account 151 that is not subject to appropriation under the national budget, he added.

Colmenares said the law provides that proceeds from the Malampaya contract must be spent on energy-related projects to develop the country’s energy capability and lower the cost of electricity.

Since 2002 the government has collected a total of P173 billion from Malampaya used for non-energy related programs, he added.

Colmenares said if the Malampaya fund was used to fund sustainable energy projects, the country, particularly Mindanao would not be suffering power outages and the people will not be burdened with high electricity costs.

“Instead of turning these over to the general fund, these were spent on non-energy related projects such as the P900 million from the DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) which was linked to the Napoles scam,” he said.

Colmenares said the COA must focus its investigation on the P5.8 billion reportedly given to the Department of Agriculture (DA) as “agricultural guarantee fund” for typhoon victims.

“The COA must investigate whether the beneficiaries of this huge amount actually exist,” he said.

Colmenares said COA must scrutinize the P7.09 billion “given to build roads in lucky districts favored by the President through the DPWH.”– Delon Porcalla, Roel Pareño