2017 and 2018 budgets pork-laden? 2019 could be worse, says Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson believes hundreds of billions of pork allotments are hidden in the proposed 2019 national budget with some congressmen's share amounting to billions of pesos.

"It runs to hundreds of billions of pesos. If you think the pork has left, no, it hasn’t left,” Lacson said in a forum with the Inquirer on Thursday.

In a text message to GMA News Online, Lacson said the 2019 budget is a work in progress and that they are scrutinizing it.

"If the 2017 and 2018 budgets are pork-laden, 2019 wouldn’t be any different. In fact, without cash-based budgeting, it could be worse," he said.

At the forum, Lacson said that in 2017, when they were scrutinizing the budget for 2018, the Senate was able to see some P130 billion "floating" funds where the pork allocations would be sourced from.

He admitted getting frustrated every year whenever they examine the proposed national budget because the practice of allocating funds for projects that will never be accomplished remains.

"Year in, year out, tumataas ang blood pressure [ko]. Laging ganoon. And you are so helpless," Lacson said.

He said he was glad that in 2016, at least three other senators—now Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senator Francis Pangilinan—approached him individually and told him that they will join his crusade.

Lacson said the pork being received by some congressmen got bigger based on his talk with contractors.

"Mas lumaki. Sometimes openly, sometimes very discreetly," he said. "Because I’ve been talking to some contractors and you only have to talk to them to find out."

He said the definition of pork as a fund given after the budget bill has been approved is no longer applicable, as pork now is being allocated while the budget is being discussed.

In 2013, the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or more commonly known as the pork barrel, the multimillion peso discretionary fund received by lawmakers every year. 

Lacson said he believes pork barrel will remain unless there is a very strong President who can put an end to it. However, this would be very difficult since the House of Representatives, with one-third of its members, can impeach him.

"I think the way to deal with this is to deal with them individually. Starting from the most notorious. Kapag nasimulan mo sa most notoriously corrupt baka walang kakampi 'yan," he said. —KBK, GMA News