House votes today on PDAF realignment to calamity fund

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today to realign the P13.5-billion balance of the 2013 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the calamity fund to help typhoon victims.

“Yes, we will vote tomorrow on three resolutions, including the one on the PDAF realignment,” Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said in a text message yesterday.

He said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has asked him over to include the resolutions in today’s order of business for voting.

Joint Resolution No. 7 seeks to realign the PDAF balance to the calamity fund and to authorize President Aquino to use it to help victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The measure has to be approved by the House and the Senate so it could be the legal mandate of the President to use the PDAF balance. PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel.

Another joint resolution, which has to be adopted also by the two chambers, seeks the creation of a reconstruction fund for the typhoon-ravaged communities.

The House is proposing P20 billion, while the Senate is suggesting P10 billion.

The third measure that is up for a vote today is a simple resolution calling on all House members to each contribute P10,000 of their salary to a relief fund.

The balance of the PDAF for this year is frozen. Three months ago, the Supreme Court (SC) stopped further releases in the wake of petitions questioning its constitutionality.

Belmonte has asked Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza to inform the SC in a formal manifestation of the lawmakers’ desire to realign the fund and authorize Aquino to use it for typhoon victims.

Malacañang and the House earlier formally petitioned the court to allow the release of funds for college scholars and sick people receiving help from congressmen, but the tribunal sat on the petition.

A Supreme Court justice, who refused to be identified, has told The STAR that the House cannot realign the 2013 PDAF balance.

The justice said realigning the PDAF “is arguably a violation of the TRO (temporary restraining order) issued by the court (SC).”