‘98 lawmakers coursed P2.19-B pork through 15 NGOs’

MANILA, Philippines - A senior lawmaker bared yesterday that 98 lawmakers had coursed some P2.19 billion in pork barrel funds through 15 non-government organizations (NGOs) in the 14th and 15th Congresses. 

ABAKADA Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz, quoting a special report of the Commission on Audit (COA), said the disbursements involved 244 projects through only five agencies that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of the senators and members of the House of Representatives had bankrolled.

“This is why I’m calling on Malacañang, the DOJ (Department of Justice) and the others investigating this alleged pork barrel scam to bare all,” he said.

“Why are they picking on just five or six opposition senators? Why are they engaging in striptease? Let’s bare all,” he added.

Speaking to reporters, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, House independent bloc head, said many of the 98 lawmakers are allied with the administration.

“We know the political realities, but let’s be fair,” he said. 

Certain lawmakers are being selected for prosecution, he added.

Meanwhile, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza urged the House leadership to suspend   implementation of the PDAF for the third quarter while the alleged misuse of billions of pesos of pork barrel funds is being investigated.

“P200 billion in PDAF funds could have easily built 10 million homes for the poor, one million classrooms and provide facilities like CT scan, dialysis and MRI equipment to provide the poor a better chance of survival when they are rushed to public hospitals,” he said.

“But when we look back at how this money has been utilized, all we see are waiting sheds, basketball courts, covered courts and now the scandalous allegations of giving money to non-existent NGOs.” 

He backs the call of Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora to pursue the investigation into the allegations to clear innocent lawmakers and punish those guilty, he added.

Atienza said when he was an assemblyman in 1984, they were also tempted with the same power of the purse where many of their colleagues were convincing them to accept P2 million each.

“But we rejected it altogether with the steady guidance of our venerable Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma,” he said. 

“Now that we are back in the same Congress, we are confronted with a similar issue that is affecting all of us and the very integrity of this chamber.”  

Palma headed the opposition bloc at the time, he added.

At the Senate, a number of senators opposed calls to abolish the PDAF or to ban NGOs from being recipients of these funds.

Sen. Francis Escudero said abolishing the PDAF might not be the best way to address the problem.

“If you ask the provinces and the countryside, they need, seek out and want this,” he said. 

“It is the great equalizer because on top of national government funds, there is an assurance of P70 million that would go to the districts.” 

Escudero said a cleanup of the entire system must be done, including a revision of the guidelines on the use of the fund.

The administration has already initiated this process with the proposed P2.268-trillion national budget for 2014.

Escudero said an amendment of the menu would help in eliminating the financing of bogus projects.

“The PDAF system is a way to listen to the opinion of those on the ground – what each district and barangay needs and not just dictated by the secretary (of the various departments),” he said. – Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy