Senate leaders to colleagues: Come clean on 'pork'

Amid public outrage over the alleged misuse of "pork barrel' funds, two Senate leaders on Wednesday called on their colleagues to answer all questions regarding these funds and open their books for public scrutiny.

 

In a statement, Senate President Franklin Drilon urged his fellow senators linked by the Commission on Audit (COA) to the supposed misuse of pork barrel funds from 2007 to 2009 to explain what really happened.

 

"I enjoin my colleagues in the Senate to respond fully to the questions raised by COA’s findings. We are accountable to our people and they deserve no less each than everyone’s full explanations to these questions," Drilon said.

 

He also expressed support for the decision of the Senate blue ribbon committee, led by Senator Teofisto Guingona III, to probe the alleged pork barrel anomalies.
 

"We heard the people’s loud clamor for accountability from us and they will not be denied. We will hold ourselves accountable," Drilon said.

 

On Friday, the COA released a report which revealed that 74 lawmakers received "pork barrel funds--formally known as the priority development assistance fund (PDAF)--beyond their respective allocations.

Among the incumbent senators identified by the COA to have received excess PDAFs were Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Litor Lapid, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Cynthia Villar (formerly Las Piñas representative).   

 

Prior to the release of the COA report, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published a series of report linking Senators Enrile, Estrada, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. and Gringo Honasan to an alleged scam using some lawmakers' PDAF to fund ghost projects worth P10 billion.  

 

Open books to COA

 

At a separate press briefing, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano challenged his colleagues to open their books to the COA.

 

Cayetano said he has already sent a letter to COA chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan requesting that his PDAF releases from 2010 to 2013 be subjected to a special audit.

 

"The best way to resolve the issue is for everyone to come clean. No excuses. No exemptions," Cayetano said.

 

He added that he will file a concurrent resolution on Thursday calling for the complete abolition of the PDAF by next year. 

 

On Wednesday, the Senate majority announced that they wil not use their PDAF for now until stricter guidelines are put in place on the release of these funds.

The announcement came after President Benigno Aquino III said he has already suspended PDAF releases for the second half of 2013.
 

Senator Nancy Binay, a member of the opposition bloc, for her part said she "fully supports" the President's decision to suspend PDAF releases.

 

“Maganda naman po ang PDAF kasi natutulungan namin yung hindi naaabot ng tulong ng gobyerno, pero sana ayusin ang sistema para hindi ito maabuso,” Binay said in a seaprate statement. — RSJ, GMA News