By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing, Rome 20.08.2013
In the news:
President Aquino has
suspended the release of so-called pork barrel funds as public anger has
continued to snowball over reports of kickbacks to lawmakers, bogus beneficiary
NGOs, and a an alleged long-running racket by a well-connected businesswoman to
pillage public coffers.
The discretionary
state funds allocated to lawmakers, also known as the Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF) intended for the poorest sectors, will not be released
until an investigation of recent allegations is completed.
Public outrage has
spread on social media, and led to calls for a massive protest march on August
26, National Heroes Day, in the Luneta.
PNoy suspends pork for lawmakers until scam
investigation ends http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/322729/news/nation/pnoy-suspends-pork-for-lawmakers-until-scam-investigation-ends
In common
parlance Pork Barrel or any other name such as PDAF or CDF is almost already
synonymous with corruption since it is highly susceptible to corrupt practices
inspite of provisions and safeguards and accountability provided in the system.
The original name of this system Pork Barrel insinuates the derisive tradition
of its American origin of unbridled patronage or spoils of political wars. This
system still smells even disguised as CDF or PDAF just like the opposite adage
of a rose is a rose and smells as sweet in any other name.
The ordinary
people not benefited by the immoral although legal largesse from the Pork
Barrel are too timid to complain or file grievances against the TraPos for fear
of reprisals from their private armies and henchmen or high powered lawyers in
the their pay.
In the words of Bayan Muna’s Renato Reyes jr. that epitomize the protest
theme - “Aquino seeks to downplay the
impact of the PDAF scam, even saying that it is small compared to the scams
during the time of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. What he is not saying however is
that the scams from the time of Arroyo have persisted even up to the time of
Aquino and so far no one has been held accountable. There is continuity and
impunity in massive corruption such that Aquino’s claims of ‘daang matuwid’ are
exposed as nothing but rhetoric…
The Aquino
regime is defending the corrupt system by refusing to abolish congressional and
presidential pork. This regime is in favor of patronage politics and institutional
corruption. Walang pagbabago. Walang maipagmamalaki si Aquino.”
In the
suspension of the controversial PDAF by President Aquino, the suspicion if he
just trying to wait out the protest tumults to plug the present loopholes and
find new ones for his cronies.
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