Akbayan solon na pinaburan daw sa 'pork barrel,' pabor na alisin ang naturang pondo

Pabor ang kinatawan ng party-list group na Akbayan na si Rep. Arlene “Kaka" Bag-ao na mawala ang kontrobersiyal na Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) na kilala rin sa tawag na “pork barrel." “I come from a political tradition where pork barrel is seen not as a tool for patronage. Kung ako lang ang masusunod, dapat lang na i-abolish ang pork barrel," pahayag ng kongresista. Pinuna kamakailan ng ilang mambabatas mula sa oposisyon ang pagbibigay ng administrasyon kay Bag-ao ng P140 milyon na PDAF para sa Dinagat Island kung saan siya ang itinalagang caretaker ni Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Walang kinatawan ngayon ang Dinagat matapos alisin sa listahan ng mga mambabatas ng Kamara de Representantes si dating Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr., dahil sa kinakaharap nitong mga kaso. Ngunit aminado rin naman si Bag-ao na, “Dinagat has been deprived of development projects and has been severely neglected." Mula sa pagiging party-list representative, tatakbong district representative ng Dinagat Island si Bag-ao sa darating na halalan sa Mayo kung saan siya ang magiging kandidato ng Liberal Party. Puna ng ilang kongresista tulad ni Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, sadyang pinaburan ng Department of Budget Management’s (BDM) na ipalabas ang pondo ng Dinagat kay Bag-ao dahil kaalyado ito ng administrasyon. (Basahin: Palace hit for 'patronage politics' over release of Dinagat pork) “This just takes the cake. A former solon still gets his PDAF through a party list lawmaker while districts of opposition congressmen have been languishing for several years already because the DBM refuses to release their PDAF," reklamo ng kongresista. Itinanggi naman ni Bag-ao, na hiningi niya na maging caretaker ng Dinagat Island bilang paghahanda sa kanyang kandidatura sa lalawigan. “My appointment is simply due to the fact that I am from Dinagat. I grew up here, and none of the reps could claim that they know the province," paliwanag nito. “Those who think that a few months of serving as caretaker representative would tilt the balance in my favor is obviously unfamiliar with how powerful the Ecleos are. They are well entrenched. This is not giving me undue advantage - actually, this is like being given a stick to slay a dragon," dagdag ni Bag-ao. - RP/FRJ, GMA News