Secretary Villar has no control over congressmen's pet projects –Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson of Sunday said that Public Works Secretary Mark Villar "obviously" cannot stand up against pressures from district representatives as they push for their "pet projects."

Lacson made the remark after Villar earlier on Sunday made assurances to the public that district engineers are designated based solely on their qualifications and performance, and not on influence peddling.

In a statement, Lacson said that Villar may have full authority to assign personnel under his department, including the district engineers, but the question is, "can the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary stand up to the pressure exerted on him by congressmen?"

"The answer is obviously no. And no matter how the secretary denies it, nobody is ready to believe him. We know that it is the root cause of corruption," Lacson said.

We know that district representatives almost always use their influence in having their “favorite” district engineers assigned to their districts for a very obvious purpose: to have full control in the implementation of their “pet projects” funded by their insertions in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA), he added.

Furthermore, the senator said corruption is the main reason why he has remained outspoken against the pork barrel system since over a decade before the Supreme Court ruled on its unconstitutionality in 2013.

"The national budget is the most violated, if not the most abused law of the land, and the abominable part is, the violators are lawmakers and those tasked to implement the GAA. That is why we are so screwed up as a country for as long as we remember politicians," he lamented. 

In the earlier interview on GMA News' Dobol B sa News TV, Villar clarified the claims by Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner Greco Belgica that some congressmen are “bullying” the DPWH district engineers, alleging conspiracy among lawmakers, contractors, and district engineers.

"Para sa akin, isa talaga sa mga goals ko ang 'di mapulitika ang DPWH. Gusto ko merit-based. Kaya ang ginagawa namin, meron kaming grading system sa mga district engineer, sa performance nila, depende sa capacity nila to implement," Villar said.

"Yun ang basis for promotion, ganun kami. Gusto ko i-professionalize yung department," he added. —LBG, GMA News