SB to lawmakers: Don’t use PDAF if you oppose it

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers who oppose the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) may choose not to avail  themselves of the scheme, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte was reacting to militant lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc, who filed a bill seeking to abolish the PDAF.

Belmonte said lawmakers seeking the abolition of the congressional pork barrel may follow the practice of former senators Joker Arroyo and Panfilo Lacson, who did not spend their annual PDAF allocation of P200 million each.

The Speaker had defended the PDAF system even as he vowed reforms in its allocation in the 16th Congress.

The Department of Budget and Management website showed that militant lawmakers have been availing themselves of PDAF, though Malacañang is yet to release their allocation this year.

Responding to questions, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc – composed of five party-list groups and seven lawmakers – could not categorically say whether they would give up their funds in case the House chooses to keep the pork barrel.

Meanwhile, Belmonte said he would rather let the Department of Justice (DOJ) finish its investigation before the House of Representatives opens its own inquiry into the reported P10-billion congressional pork barrel scam.

Belmonte said he has checked with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on the progress of the DOJ probe, and was informed that investigators were still gathering evidence.

“Let them (DOJ) do their job, instead of publicizing every evidence. But for sure, we can’t write finish without a report to us and cases filed in court,” he said.

However, he said he could not stop his colleagues from initiating and starting a separate House inquiry.

Members of the opposition bloc led by Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora are set to file on Monday a resolution seeking an investigation into what Zamora has described as the “Janet Lim Napoles scandal.”

Zamora was referring to the businesswoman who allegedly led a syndicate that pocketed the funds through bogus foundations to which lawmakers gave their pork.

Napoles had since denied any wrongdoing.

“We will ask the DOJ and NBI (National Bureu of Investigation) to present to us whatever cases they can support with evidence,” Zamora told a news conference on Wednesday.

De Lima clears DA secretary, 3 senators

De Lima has cleared Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and three administration senators of involvement in the alleged scam, citing lack of documentary or other evidence.

De Lima said Alcala, along with Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV and Loren Legarda, do not appear in affidavits of whistleblower Benhur Luy or any witness of the NBI.

“At this point – in the absence of any document or proof linking them to the alleged scam – they are not covered by the investigation. They’re not involved in this, unless something comes out implicating them,” De Lima told reporters yesterday.

She said “it seems unseen hands or elements” are trying to muddle the NBI probe. “That’s not fair because in the middle of this investigation, the NBI is being put in a bad light,” she said.

She clarified that Luy’s camp only said that the pork barrel of several congressmen went to DA projects.

An earlier newspaper report had linked five senators – Ramon Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Gringo Honasan – to the scam supposedly based on Luy’s testimony at the NBI.

De Lima said some lawmakers were implicated by the whistleblower, but refused to identify them.

“That is why the NBI has not subpoenaed anyone yet. There’s still no basis to invite those who were really named in affidavits,” she said.

No links with Palace, LP

In a related development, Liberal Party (LP) secretary-general and Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento denied allegations that President Aquino and the administration party have links with Napoles.

“It doesn’t make sense to even insinuate that President Aquino is involved in the pork barrel scam issue because it was during the early part of his term that reforms had been made to disallow the allocation of the PDAF to NGOs,” he said.

Sarmiento said neither Aquino nor the LP was responsible for the appointment of Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, who has been linked to the scam, as chairman of the House appropriations committee.

He said Ungab was elected in plenary and not appointed by the party.

Sarmiento said the LP is “solidly backing all reforms that would ensure transparency and accountability on the use of the pork barrel.”

Koko denies accusation

In a related development, Pimentel denied reports linking him to the scam, saying none of his PDAF went to any NGO or foundation linked to Napoles.

“My list of PDAF projects is open to the public for scrutiny. I, therefore, welcome any and all investigations on this matter,” he said.

Reports quoting Luy claimed that Pimentel’s estranged wife, Jewel Lobaton, approached them for a deal for the use of the senator’s PDAF and allegedly asked for P10 million in exchange for their use of his PDAF.

Pimentel said the NBI should be given a free hand to conduct a thorough probe on the issue but it should also discipline its ranks to prevent “leakages by anonymous sources” so as not to unduly destroy people’s reputation. – With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Edu Punay