Robredo wants reforms in use of PDAF

MANILA, Philippines - Incoming Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor Robredo has called for reforms in the use of the annual P25-billion pork barrel fund of lawmakers.

In a television interview, Robredo said the fund has been used to buy the loyalty and patronage of local officials, including barangay officials.

The money should be used to encourage these officials to perform better and to address the basic concerns of the people, she added.

Robredo said she would use her allocation as a “performance incentive fund” for local governments.

Robredo beat Nelly Villafuerte, wife of outgoing Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, who lost the gubernatorial race to his grandson Luis Miguel Villafuerte III.

The congressional pork barrel is officially called Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF. It allocates P200 million a year for each senator and P70 million for each member of the House of Representatives.

There have been reports of irregularities in the use of PDAF allocations.

The most recent of these were the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) on nearly P200 million in the funds of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.

The funds of the three senators ended up with a bogus private entity, Pangkabuhayan Foundation, COA said.

There is also the case of presidential adviser on the environment Nereus Acosta, who is facing a graft case before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly diverting millions in PDAF to a foundation organized by members of his family. Acosta is out on bail.

In the wake of the COA findings on the funds of Enrile, Estrada and Revilla, several of their colleagues have called for stricter measures to ensure that funds do not go to bogus entities, and lawmakers and officials of implementing agencies do not get kickbacks and commissions.