Palace exec: Nothing wrong with Arroyo's 'pork' spending

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's chief legal counsel does not see anything wrong with her having spent P459 million in "pork barrel" funds for infrastructure in her home province, where she will run for congresswoman this May. A fuming chief presidential legal counsel Raul Gonzalez said there is nothing wrong with the spending as long as the funds had been properly appropriated. "What is the source of the fund? Is it appropriated by law for the area? Ang importante, the appropriation is made by law (What is important is that the appropriation is made by law)," Gonzalez, a former Justice secretary, told radio dzXL. He took a dig at party-list Rep. Ana Theresia Baraquel, a senatorial bet of the Liberal Party, who had accused Mrs. Arroyo of "improper" and "shameless" spending. Baraquel bared on Wednesday that the President had spent P459 million in pork barrel allocations for infrastructure projects in the second district of Pampanga. The President is running for congresswoman in the second district, where her home town of Porac is located. Before confirming her plan to run for congresswoman, Mrs. Arroyo had visited Pampanga more than 50 times last year. "All these are speculations, these are criticisms made by people who do not like the President," Gonzalez said. Baraquel, citing Department of Public Works and Highways Region III records, said Mrs. Arroyo had spent P3 million for a slope protection project in Lubao; P5 million to build a drainage canal in the Angeles-Porac-Dinalupihan Road; P17 million for the Basa Airbase access road; P100 million to build the Basa Airbase access road interchange; P3 million to unclog the river in Bancal Pudad in Lubao town; and P3.5 million for rip-rap feeder roads in the same municipality. The President also spent P23 million for various projects in Lubao — a P4.2-million drainage canal; P9.1-million concrete roads; and P9.7 million to unclog four rivers in the town. Mrs. Arroyo also spent P40 million to repair the San Fernando-Lubao Road; P10.5 million to build a multipurpose building in Lubao; P5 million to rehabilitate the Calantas FMR in Floridablanca; P5 million for a slope protection project in Carmen, Floridablanca; and P700,000 to protect the riverbed of a creek in San Agustin, Sta. Rita. The President also spent P3 million to build a line canal in San Nicolas, Floridablanca; P1.3 million to construct and repair canals in Sta. Rita; P5 million for a slope project in Valdez, Floridablanca; P12 million for a slope project in Pulungmasle, Guagua; P5 million to improve the municipal building of Sasmuan; and P5 million to upgrade a feeder road in Sto. Cristo, Guagua. Likewise, she spent P1.4 million to repair roads in Sta. Rita; P5 million to build a drainage canal in San Antonio, Floridablanca; P30 million to rehabilitate Babsukan Road; P5.6 million to build multipurpose buildings in Sasmuan and Sta Rita; and P150 million for the Lubao bypass road of the San Fernando-Olongapo Road. Another P20 million was spent to dredge the mouth of the Third River near Pampanga Bay. Hontiveros noted that even if the spending was legal, it was “improper" and “shameless." Municipalities that make up Pampanga's second district are Floridablanca, Guagua, Lubao, Porac, Santa Rita and Sasmuan. A quick survey of the pork-barrel funded projects in the province would show that Lubao, the President’s hometown, benefited from 13 infrastructure projects worth P233 million. — LBG/NPA, GMANews.TV