No politics in new pork barrel rules — Palace exec

Malacañang said Tuesday there is nothing political with the stricter rules being implemented by the Department of Budget and Management on the release of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)—or pork barrel—to lawmakers.    “We support the position taken by Secretary Butch Abad and, again, we are all for transparency and accountability,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing.   “This is a measure that he has taken to ensure also that the funds will be properly used. So we are in full support of Secretary Butch Abad’s position on the use of the PDAF,” he added.   Abad, on February 20, 2012, issued seven-page National Budget Circular 537 imposing guidelines on the release of funds chargeable against the PDAF for 2012.   The circular said in the release of funds, preference should be given to projects located in the 4th and 6th class municipalities or indigents identified under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.   It also stated that realignment of PDAF may be allowed only once and if the revised program or project is within the PDAF project menu; the allotment requested for realignment has not yet been obligated; the allotment is still valid or has not yet lapsed and requests for realignment of unobligated allotment treated as continuing appropriations shall be submitted to the DBM not later than June 30, 2013.         2013 polls not a factor      Lacierda said the coming 2013 elections is not a factor in controlling the release of funds.   “To my knowledge, we have given to most of the congressmen. So it’s more to ensure that the funds are properly used… I think Secretary Butch Abad has placed a standard by which releases will be made and I think that standard is to be observed by all congressmen,” he said.                                                      Each member of the House of Representatives is entitled to P70 million PDAF, of which P40 million should be allocated for infrastructure or hard projects and P30 million for soft projects.   The senators, on the other hand, have an allocation of P200 million each, of which P100 million should be for infrastructure and the other P100 million for soft projects.   Half of the allocation for each legislator will be released in the first semester of a year and the remaining half in the second semester. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News