Joker Arroyo: 11 senators got P500-M 'pork' during Corona trial

(Updated 11:22 a.m., October 2, 2013) At least 11 senators got P500 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly known as "pork barrel," while they were sitting as judges in the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

This was revealed by former Senator Joker Arroyo, who voted for Corona's acquittal, during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

"At the height of the impeachment trial, over P500 million was taken from PDAF, and given, I think, to 11 senators," Arroyo said.

The former senator, however, did not identify which of his colleagues got the PDAF releases. He also refused to describe the allocations as a bribe.

Reward

Additionally, Arroyo was emphatic that he was not “rewarded” for the conviction of then Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in the Senate impeachment trial, and that he had no knowledge that funding for his projects had come from the Disbursement Acceleration Program, better known as the DAP.

“All of those things they’re talking about--I have no knowledge, I have no involvement, because, napaka-simple Iang--I voted to acquit,” Arroyo said in a “24 Oras” report

Also, the ex-senator added, he would not have agreed to have his projects funded through the DAP “because I don’t like PDAF. What more with this DAP?”

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad had explained on Monday that Arroyo had wanted to fund several infrastructure and medical assistance projects, to the tune of P47 million, through amendments to the 2013 General Appropriations Act.

But Congress did not accommodate the amendments during the budget deliberations.

Arroyo’s projects were, instead, endorsed to the Executive Department for funding.

“We noted that the projects identified by his office were properly aligned with President [Benigno] Aquino's thrust of providing quality education and health services for the country's underprivileged,” said Abad. “We thus accommodated his request by charging the fund source for these projects against DAP."

“This is a crime, releasing money without legal support,” Arroyo reacted. “That involves money. To disburse that, they must have authority. Nowhere in our laws, and nowhere in our General Appropriations Act would it appear that DAP was created at all with the sanction and support of our Congress.”

DAP
 
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago also said that the DAP was illegal, as it was given to congressmen and government officials without passing through Congress.
 
In a “24 Oras” report, Santiago said that it was not the job of the Senate or Congress to accelerate government spending, referring to the DBM’s defense of DAP’s necessity.  DAP, she said, could be considered as President Aquino’s pork barrel.

Palace defense

At a press conference at the Palace earlier Tuesday, Undersecretary Abigail Valte said the 1987 Constitution allows savings and appropriations to be used to cover deficits and may be spent on projects to stimulate the national economy.

“I can tell you now, [a] very big percentage of the fund was actually coursed through the implementing agencies themselves, meaning agencies in the executive,” Valte said

It was revealed that since October 2011, DAP had up to P85.13B.

In January of 2012, P69.3B or 96 percent of the funds, was released immediately; P53.8 B of which has documents purportedly proving how it was used. The DAP was spent on upgrades for state-run hospitals, radars for PAGASA, and housing projects, which were not included in the national budget.

Abad had also defended the DAP and explained in the government’s Official Gazette that the DAP was a spending-acceleration mechanism. “DAP was launched by the Aquino administration in October 2011 to support fast-moving projects that would help the government catch up with its expenditure targets.

“The need for DAP arose precisely because government agencies were then laying down various reforms to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the implementation of their projects,” Abad added. “This caused some delay in agency spending and in the delivery of priority programs and projects.”

Miriam, Bongbong did not receive DAP
 
As for Arroyo’s statement regarding the DBM’s advanced disbursement of PDAF funds, Santiago said she had an unimpeachable source which could prove that the pay-off did happen.
 
She and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had also voted to acquit Corona, and neither of them received DAP-sourced funds.
 
Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson did vote to convict Corona but he did receive DAP funds, as he, like Arroyo, does not use his pork barrel funds.
 
Meanwhile, Senate President Franklin Drilon defended the DAP. He received P100 million, the largest amount out of 20 senators.
 
Drilon explained that the amount was given because he was then the chairman of the Finance Committee and requested funds for his numerous projects. He could prove it with records.

Belmonte clarifies

Meanwhile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said that the P10M given to congressmen from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) was not a reward for those who supported the ousting of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“Marami pa rin ‘di nakakatanggap. It’s very difficult to connect it with Corona,” commented Belmonte, who said that some congressmen were not given any funds as far as September of that year.
 
The discretionary funds entered public consciousness after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s privilege speech last September 25, in which he said P50 million in additional funds were distributed among senators who voted in favor of Corona’s conviction. — Andreo Calonzo and Rie Takumi/BM/DVM/KG, GMA News