Bishops push social reforms after anti-'pork' rally

Catholic bishops over the weekend urged Filipinos to push for social reforms after Monday's rally against the pork barrel funds at the Luneta in Manila.

In a statement, Caceres Bishop Roland Tirona said the call to abolish pork is also a cry for social reforms that people must work for.

"The clamor for the abolition of the pork barrel system does not end in scrapping numbers in the national budget or lessening the discretion in dispensing the fund. Instead, it is a cry for social reforms. It is a collective desire for social justice. And we pave the way for social justice when we end the concentration of power," Tirona said.

For his part, Manila auxiliary bishop and National Secretariat for Social Action director Broderick Pabillo called for a no-nonsense probe of the pork barrel mess.

Pabillo, in a separate statement, said the investigation should go beyond trader Janet Napoles and her family, and include lawmakers and government departments involved.

On Monday, Filipinos calling for the abolition of the pork barrel system in the wake of a P10-billion scandal are expected to troop to Luneta to make their stand known.

Similar gatherings are expected in other parts of the country on Monday.

'Pork' cause of unending poverty

Tirona said that while discretionary funds are necessary for governments to run, the pork barrel – like political dynasties – "is a cause of our unending poverty."

He said lawmakers are at the behest of the Chief Executive and, "appallingly, the people beg for what actually belong to them."

"With the Chief Executive controlling the release of the funds to congressmen and senators, our laws may not be the will of the people. With congressmen and senators releasing the funds for their pet projects, public funds may be used for their personal interests, as what is happening now," he said.

He also said that while there may be projects from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of some lawmakers that benefited the people, "these are mere fragments compared to the benefits reaped by congressmen or senators as the PDAF strengthened patronage politics."

"Truly, the pork barrel system is a way for politicians to appear clean when their intent and purpose are in fact corrupt," he said.

Also, he said President Benigno Aquino's decision to regulate the PDAF is "meaningless, for as long as the heart of the pork barrel continues to beat strongly in our political system."

Social reforms

Among the social reforms Tirona pushd were:

- Demand for a speedy and fair investigation of those who misuse public funds. "The lawful conviction of those guilty will signal the commitment of our government to truth and justice," he said.

- Demand transparency and accountability from political leaders, and push for the passing of the Freedom of Information Bill so people may have greater access to data on government spending.

- Demand for projects that are truly responsive to the needs of the people. If people themselves identify the project, "there is no room for ghost projects and vigilance will be enhanced."

- Do not partake of the pork in any form being dangled by corrupt politicians.

- Restore integrity beginning from the barangay level, in the election for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan.

- Be vigilant at all times. Closely monitor the performance of public officials. "In three years, we will re-evaluate the choices we made in the May 2013 election," he said.

No-nonsense probe of pork scam

For his part, Pabillo pushed for a no-nonsense investigation of the pork barrel scam, warning President Aquino he will do the country a "great disservice" if he does not act decisively on the issue.

Pabillo, director of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA), questioned the lack of eagerness by both houses of Congress to probe the scandal.

"Let the government make a no-nonsense investigation of the Pork Barrel Scam. As of now, it is very suspicious that both the Lower and Upper Houses of Congress have shown no eagerness to investigate this scam when their own members are alleged to be involved in it," Pabillo said in a statement.

"Thus the investigation should cover not only the Napoles family and the NGOs used but also the members of Congress and government departments involved. We further demand that the investigation should lead to prosecution and conviction. This is a big crime against the people, especially against the poor, whose hard-earned money is being plundered and squandered," he added.

He said it is "strange" that those not named in the Commission on Audit report on alleged misuse of pork funds had not moved to probe the matter to clear the image of the institutions they belong to.

Pabillo also branded as unacceptable the claim that an investigation would take away the time for lawmaking.

"Is this stonewalling attitude an indication that there is really something fishy about the pork barrel? The lame excuse made that investigating the scam will take away time for law-making does not hold. Any law that this Congress will make would be held suspect until its integrity is established," he said.

Moreover he said, a closer look at the COA report on the scam indicates even his own allies may have been involved.

Thus, Aquino "has to clear his own rank."

Abolition

Meanwhile, Pabillo said NASSA is pushing not just for the rigorous investigation of the pork barrel scam but for the abolition of the pork barrel system.

He said the PDAFis not mandated by law and is simply at the discretion of the President.

"If he is really against corruption, as he claims to be, then he should do away with structures that bring corruption. Stricter compliance and checks and balances is one thing, but it cannot replace the fact that this system, when not abolished, still exists. It weakens governance in our country," he said.

Pabillo noted the pork barrel system is a main reason why many unqualified people spend large amounts of money to run as lawmakers even if they are not prepared and  do very little lawmaking.

He added the pork barrel is a reason for the propagation of political dynasties, "which makes a mockery of our democracy."

Worse, he said the pork barrel system promotes the culture of political patronage among the people.

"The people will not be running to the lawmakers for favors if they do not have anything to give, since their function is to make laws and not to distribute largesse," he said.

Pabillo also questioned if the pork barrel issue could be a reason why the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is not being passed.

"Why are our elected government officials afraid that the people may know their public transactions which they claim to be done on behalf of the people?" he said. — LBG, GMA News