QC gov’t has no control over P89.5-M unused PDAF

(Second of two parts)

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government has failed to utilize the P89.5 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) stuck in its coffers since the authority for the release of the money should come from the legislators who allocated the funds to the city.

“We cannot use it because it’s in our trust fund. The person who can implement is the congressman,” city treasurer Edgar Villanueva said.

Based on the Commission on Audit (COA) report, among the largest allocations that remain unutilized is the P15 million earmarked by former Quezon City congressman Mat Defensor for priority programs and projects in the city’s third district.

Defensor also allotted another P8 million for financial assistance to residents in his district.

Another P15 million was unutilized, but no details were provided as to whom it came from and for which projects it was allotted for. It was granted on Feb. 1, 2011.

Four other items, amounting to P8 million, have no information as regards to the legislators and their purpose. Another P2 million coming from an unknown legislator was allotted to priority development projects.

Other unutilized PDAF in Quezon City came from Akbayan party-list (P6 million), former senator Manny Villar (P100,000), and Senators Gringo Honasan (P5 million), Juan Ponce Enrile (P2 million) and Ramon Revilla Jr. (P1 million).

The remaining items in unutilized PDAF came from CIBAC party-list Reps. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales (P100,000) and Joel Villanueva (P100,000), former Tarlac congressman Jeci Lapus (P100,000) and former Quezon City congressman Vincent Crisologo (P200,000 and P100,000).

PDAF for NGO

The COA report also showed that P500,000 of the P8.1 million PDAF allotted by former Quezon City congresswoman Nanette Daza for a non-government organization remains unused.

The budget, granted on April 13, 2009, was for financial assistance to Serbisyong Pagmamahal Foundation. Some P4.3 million of the P13.3 million allotted by Daza to the city government during her term for various programs remains unutilized.

Some P9.5 million of the P16 million allocated by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte for the implementation of the revitalized alternative learning system program is also unused.

Also unused were parts of the PDAF allocations of Quezon City Rep. Jorge Banal (P7.9 million of P8.2 million), Enrile (P27,000 of P8 million), and former senators Juan Miguel Zubiri (P3.5 million of P6 million) and Jun Magsaysay (P1,500 of P1.5 million).