DAP ruined when given to same ‘PDAF thieves’

Scorn for Noynoy Aquino’s presidential pork barrel is spreading, despite his two speeches defending it. Why? Because, analysts say, he skirted the core issues against the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). In the first he blamed on a “conspiracy” criticisms of his transfer of Congress-approved funds to un-programmed works. In the second, a special primetime TV hookup last Wednesday, he swore to continue the DAP since, unlike the “pork”-plundering lawmakers,  “I am not a thief.”

Critics retort thus:

• The P142-billion DAP did not spur the economy as claimed. P-Noy impounded in 2011-2012 the unspent allocations of slowpoke agencies and savings of diligent ones. From the budget office’s recent admissions, he then spent it on non-essential projects of ex-Moro and Cordillera rebels, and in endless soup kitchens. Worse, he coursed nine percent of the DAP – P13 billion – through the very lawmakers he called “thieves.” This spoiled the DAP’s noble intention of hastening disbursements.

• P-Noy’s avowals notwithstanding, the DAP is unconstitutional. The basic law allows the President to realign savings for other projects within the thrifty departments, not into other agencies. Realigning it to Congress, a separate branch of government, violates the constitutional power of that very Congress to approve appropriations. At any rate, the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the DAP’s legality, and the Commission on Audit on its usefulness.

Public trust in P-Noy remains high, even if ratings dropped in two recent polls. This is because he is perceived to be honest and able. Not so with his party mates and subalterns.

Despite P-Noy’s claim of “appointing persons of unassailable integrity and good performance,” the public sees the opposite. There’s his Customs chief who has missed every monthly collection target, and National Police head who cannot stem the crime wave. His trustees in the Social Security System and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System award themselves million-peso bonuses for mismanagement. His transportation secretary contracted for vehicle license platemaking a domestic firm blacklisted for forgery and an undercapitalized Dutch partner. His Land Transport Office chief is untouchable. His environment secretary, a forester, lets illegal mines destroy the forests. The governor of Zambales abets illegal nickel, chromite, and black sand extraction by Chinese by invoking his once being P-Noy’s mother’s loyalist deputy at the Presidential Security Group. The agriculture secretary can’t stabilize the supply and price of the Filipino staple, rice. The heads of the National Food Authority and the National Irrigation Administration have closeness to that agriculture boss as sole qualification for office. And there’s P-Noy’s budget secretary, who consolidated from line agencies P800 million as his congresswoman-wife’s pork barrel – the sixth highest among 24 senators and 292 congressmen, for the smallest of 82 provinces, with population of 16,000, less than that of each 42,000 barangays. There are more of them – proofs that the P-Noy team is far from infallible.

On the other side are P-Noy’s detractors – the “thieves.” He meant Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla, recently charged by P-Noy’s justice secretary with plundering their congressional pork, or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). P-Noy says the three are muddling his DAP in revenge. His label of “thieves” can refer to others as well. Charged with the three senators are eight congressmen, and P6.5-billion “pork” fixer Janet Lim Napoles. Malacañang has said they’re just the first batch of indictees. Senators Bongbong Marcos, Gringo Honasan, Tito Sotto, and Lito Lapid have been named in reports as next. So with other fixers, Ruby Tuason, Maya Santos, and new North Cotabato congresswoman Nancy Catamco. From news exposés and state audits, even P-Noy’s Liberal Party mates who rule Congress pocketed the annual P27.5 billion PDAF. No less than 22 past and present senators and 182 congressmen were into the racket.

The senators received P50 million to P100 million each in DAP; selected congressmen, P10 million to P15 million. They were surprised when Abad told them they had such additional “pork” to spend. They had no idea on what projects to spend the manna from heaven. As ex-senator Panfilo Lacson recalled, they were busy pocketing their existing PDAF of P200 million per senator and P70 million per congressman. An ally of P-Noy, Lacson was the only lawmaker to shun both “porks.”

Since P-Noy’s DAP in effect gave the PDAF “thieves” more money to steal, thinking Filipinos deem it unacceptable. His insistence on keeping his discretionary power over such impoundments only agitates them more to resist his indiscretion.

P-Noy has two choices at this point. He can succumb to the public outcry for transparent, accountable line-item budgeting. Or he can face the prospect of the P500-bill being redesigned after his tenure, to remove the stained memories of his parents Ninoy and Cory.

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