DBM to comply with SC ruling to stop PDAF allocation

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday said it will respect the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) against the release of the remaining lump sum allocations in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

"We are prepared to fully comply with and support the TRO issued by the High Court on the remaining PDAF releases under the 2013 budget, especially as this agrees with the President's instruction to suspend all releases from this fund while the current investigation on the Napoles controversy is still being conducted,” said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

The TRO instructs the DBM, the Bureau of the Treasury, the Executive Secretary or any persons acting under their authority not to release the remaining PDAF allocated to members of Congress under the General Appropriations Act of 2013, as well as the Malampaya funds under the phrase, “for such other purposes as may be hereafter directed by the President” under Section 8 of Presidential Decree No. 910, but not for the purpose of “financing energy resource development and exploitation programs and projects of the government” under the same provisions.

P14.7 billion of the PDAF remains unreleased with the issuance of the TRO, Abad said.

Malampaya funds

Abad noted that under the current administration, all releases from the Malampaya funds were allocated to projects involving energy resource development, "including those that secure and protect our potential energy sources, exactly as the fund was designed for."

"We will likewise comply with the Supreme Court's order to hold off on all Malampaya fund releases for non-energy related projects until the TRO has been effectively lifted," Abad said.

This year, P335.1 million was channeled from the Malampaya funds to the Department of National Defense (DND) for the security requirements of the Malampaya Gas-to-Power Project.

The President suspended the release of pork barrel funds on August 20, following outrage over reports of an alleged scam that funneled some billions in PDAF funds to nonexistent groups. — BM, GMA News