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Amid public outrage, most senators now favor 'pork' abolition


As public outrage continues to snowball, at least 16 of the current 24 senators are now in favor of abolishing their P200-million annual "pork barrel" allocation.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Francis Escudero separately filed two resolutions calling for the outright scrapping of the pork barrel funds, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

"The people have spoken and it is necessary to draw the line further between public accountability and patronage politics by being truthful to the constitutional allocation of powers and prerogatives," Escudero, who heads the Senate finance committee, said in his resolution.

Escudero filed this resolution despite his earlier statement describing the PDAF a "great equalizer," citing these funds' benefits for the countryside.

Senator Grace Poe, who said during the campaign period that she is for the responsible use of the PDAF, also now categorically wants the pork barrel junked.

"I am for abolition, but I would like our advocacy-based initiatives like our feeding program to be assigned to the proper agency," Poe said in a text message.

Social media has been filled with outrage by Filipino netizens against the PDAF after the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran a series of reports last month detailing a scam that utilized pork barrel funds for ghost projects worth P10 billion.

Last Friday, the Commission on Audit bared in a report that 74 lawmakers received pork barrel funds beyond their respective allocations from 2007 to 2009. It also noted how these discretionary funds "were not efficiently monitored and tracked, if at all" during that period.

A "pocket picnic" for taxpayers is set at the historic Luneta Park on Monday to protest the alleged anomalies in the use of the pork barrel fund. As of Thursday afternoon, almost 11,000 indicated on the event's Facebook page that they were attending, but the target attendance is pegged at 1 million. Other events outside Metro Manila are also being planned.

'Sensitive to what the people want'

Senator JV Ejercito, who also supports the scrapping of the PDAF, meanwhile said lawmakers should just focus on making laws and not handling public funds.

"As representatives of the Filipino people, we have to be sensitive to what they want. Also, as a neophyte senator, I want to put an end to this issue once and for all," Ejercito said in a separate text message.

Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., whose name has been dragged into the PDAF controversy, likewise joined calls to abolish the PDAF.

"It appears that the good intentions of helping the poor and spreading the development to the countryside are not realized at napaglalaruan pa pagdating sa implementation," he said.

Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, for his part, said he is also willing to vote for resolutions to completely remove the PDAF in the national budget, but he plans to present an "alternative... that is made to be less prone to corruption."

The Senate's top two leaders who are aligned with the administration—Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto—have earlier backed calls to scrap pork barrel funds.

This was despite the earlier position taken by President Benigno Aquino III that he is not keen on scrapping the PDAF, which has long been perceived as a political tool by the executive branch to influence the legislature.

Other lawmakers who have expressed support for moves to abolish the PDAF are Senators Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Aquilino Pimentel III, Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Teofisto Guingona III.

Phase-out

Three senators, meanwhile, said that they are also for the scrapping of the PDAF, but it must be done gradually.

In a text message, Senator Gregorio Honasan II said the phase-out of the pork barrel should be undertaken after "impartial" probes on these funds are completed.

"I would support the calibrated abolition of the PDAF and the discretionary fund system in all branches and departments of government," Honasan said.

Last month, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a resolution proposing that the PDAF for each member of Congress be slashed by half next year, and then once again by half in 2015.

By 2016, the end of President Aquino's term in office, Santiago said the PDAF should be completely "phased out."

For Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, there are only two ways to handle the PDAF amid the controversies surrounding it: a gradual abolition, or "drastically improving" safeguards against corruption involving these discretionary funds.

Trillanes backs PNoy's stand

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, for his part, said he is for the retention of the PDAF, since it is the President's stand.

"Only PNoy can abolish the PDAF. If he chooses to retain it, I will continue to allocate it properly. The bottom line is huwag mong ibulsa ang pondo ng gobyerno," Trillanes said in a separate text message.

He also predicted that "nothing will happen to any resolution" abolishing the pork barrel, unless Aquino supports it.

Senator Nancy Binay meanwhile said she "would rather wait for the final result of the probe" on the alleged PDAF anomalies before taking a stand on the issue.

Binay likewise called for a "full review" of the policies and processes governing the PDAF. – KBK, GMA News

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