PDAF – THE MOTHER OF CORRUPTIONS

Source : http://www.scribd.com/doc/155184809/Pork-Barrel-COA-Reports-Per-Legislator

The recent exposè by the whistleblower Benhur Luy has revealed a rogue’s gallery and musty open the eyes of the voting public.

Through the National Agri-Business Corporation (Nabcor) alone, at least 49 lawmakers were identified as sources of pork barrel that went to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that state auditors had questioned over a 5-year period.

Nabcor is a government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC) under the Department of Agriculture from which the alleged syndicate run by Janet Lim-Napoles got most of the solons’ funds. The more prominent administration allies named in the COA reports denied knowledge of their pork barrel going to the identified NGOs.

The list of senators and congressmen and congresswomen may yet get longer if Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) releases to other agencies and government corporations will be scrutinized.

Indeed, the allegations made by Luy in the affidavit he recently submitted to the justice department make up but a small part of a larger anomaly.

Luy had claimed that Napoles used at least 5 non-existent NGOs to get a slice of the PDAF of 5 senators and 23 congressmen and women. He said the NGOs availed themselves of the funds through Nabcor, the ZNAC Rubber Estate Corporation, and the Technology Resource Center.

The COA released a reports on Nabcor for the years 2007 to 2011, a period that spanned 3 national elections and covered the change of administrations from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to President Benigno Aquino III. To view the report click the link -  http://www.scribd.com/doc/155184809/Pork-Barrel-COA-Reports-Per-Legislator

After President Aquino won in 2010, some of those Arroyo allies joined Aquino’s LP.

Of the 15 who are now allied with the Aquino administration, only 4 were originally with LP. These 15 had a combined PDAF of P114.78 million going to dubious NGOs from 2007-2011.

Then Sen Edgardo Angara had P19.4 million of his PDAF released to the Kagandahan ng Kapaligiran Foundation in 2009-2010, for the benefit of the 3^rd district of Davao City.

During the same period, 2009-2010, then Rep Joel Villanueva of the party-list group Cibac (Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption) had P4.85 million released to the Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation, for the benefit of Oriental Mindoro’s 2^nd district.

Villanueva has since been appointed by Aquino as director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

The same amount, P4.85 million, this time from then Akbayan Rep Risa Hontiveros’ pork barrel, went to the Sagip-Buhay People Support Foundation. It was supposed to benefit the towns of Hernani in Eastern Samar and Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan.

Hontiveros ran for senator under Aquino’s party in 2010 and 2013 but lost.

It is now up to the people to decide if they still want PDAF to continue or leave it for the present Admins to clean it up. However, it is clear that since it involves of big sums of money, it will remain an attraction for more corruption even in the face of strict measures against violators.