Lawmakers defend supposed add'l ‘pork’ from road user’s tax

Lawmakers on Thursday defended the supposed additional “pork barrel" they will get after approving a measure allocating their respective districts P20 million to P30 million from the road user’s tax. Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna said the additional allocation will not go to the congressmen’s pockets since they will only identify and approve projects and do not directly handle the money. “Wala naman reason para ito hindi aprubahan. Ang trabaho lang naman ng representatives as well as the senators is to pinpoint [projects]," he said at a press briefing. Tugna was referring to House Bill 4069, which the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading Tuesday night. HB 4069 allows congressmen to identify how P20 million to P30 million from the special road support fund taken from the Motor Vehicles User’s Charge (MVUC), commonly known as the road user’s tax, will be used in their respective districts. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino, one of the lawmakers who voted against the bill’s passage, said the additional allocations seem to be just added pork barrel for lawmakers. “Alam po nating lahat na maraming anomalya sa paggamit ng road user’s tax. Kailangan talaga ng reporma sa pag-allocate ng pondo... Ito hong gagawin natin na iko-convert ang MVUC funds na parang PDAF ay hindi solusyon sa problema," he said in a statement Wednesday. (We all know that there’s a lot of anomalies in the use of road user’s tax. We really need reforms in allocating funds. But converting MVUC like PDAF is not the solution to this problem.) Pork barrel refers to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the tens of millions of pesos worth of congressional allocations for projects in their respective districts or constituencies. Other lawmakers who voted against the passage of the bill include Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio and Gabriela party-list Rep. Emerenciana de Jesus. ‘Inequitable distribution’ Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, meanwhile, said the new allocations were only meant to solve the problem of “inequitable distribution" of road user’s funds in the country’s various legislative districts. “In the past, there was inequitable distribution of motor vehicles user’s funds to the different districts nationwide. That has been the complaint of majority of congressmen, because it is unfair for somebody living in a district paying for MVUC tax yet the road in his district is not being maintained by the national government," she said at the same press briefing. Magsaysay said the provision giving lawmakers the authority to identify which road projects to prioritize is only “incidental" in the bill. The approved measure will promote greater accountability in the handling of road projects in the country, according to the Zambales lawmaker. “Kung meron pong hindi magandang ginawa sa kanyang distrito using MVUC, puwedeng kasuhan ng kahit sino 'yung congressman, 'yung. DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) at saka ‘yung contractor kung bakit pumalpak ‘yung project," she said. Based on the HB 4069, money from the road user’s tax will go to special trust funds in the national treasury, administered by the Department of Transportation and Communication and the DPWH. ‘Strict’ guidelines AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, for his part, said HB 4069 includes “strict" guidelines for congressmen on how they can use the funds from road user’s tax. “Ang maganda po ngayon, mahigpit na kung saan mo pupwede gamitin (The good thing now is that it's strict on where you can use it)," he said. He said the additional allocations will likewise help them purge smoke belchers in their respective districts, and also “support the local economy." The measure, which amends portions of the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge Law (Republic Act 8794), states that the P20 million allocation shall be tapped by congressmen for the “maintenance, repair, improvement and concreting of all roads and drainage" in their areas. The road user’s tax became the subject of controversy last year after reports on the allegedly missing P50 billion from the said tax came out. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives last year conducted investigations on allegations of the funds' misuse. - KBK/VS, GMA News