Villar denies ‘pork’ misuse

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Cynthia Villar has denied reports of irregularities in the use of her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as alleged by a militant organization.

Villar said her PDAF allocation when she was congresswoman of Las Piñas City went to programs and projects in her district that are geared towards improving the living condition of her constituents, particularly the poor.

“With this as guidepost, I have likewise made sure that the identification of PDAF projects was done strictly in accordance with the menu and guidelines dictated by the Department of Budget and Management,” Villar said in a statement.

Among the various projects implemented using Villar’s PDAF was a waste processing system, which she said resulted in P300-million annual savings for Las Piñas City and created livelihood opportunities for many of its residents.

She said a number of her projects were also dedicated to the rehabilitation of rivers and waterways to prevent flooding.

Villar noted that the Las Piñas-Zapote River Rehabilitation Program even bagged the Best Water Management Practice Award at the United Nations Water Life Event in Zaragoza, Spain, winning over 38 countries in 2011.

“The three-year annual savings in garbage disposal during the audit period is four times as much as what we put in, considering that much of it still went to medical services, education and calamity assistance.

Based on cost-benefit analysis, it truly reflects that indeed there was no wastage or loss in the utilization of funds in Las Piñas City,” she said.