Pinoy Weekly - Makabayan bloc rejects House move to ‘disguise’ pork barrel

Posted: 14 Sep 2013 04:54 AM PDT

Progressive party-lists call for total abolition of the pork barrel system, will unveil proposal to allocate funds directly to social services. (PW File Photo/Macky Macaspac)

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc rejected the move by the House Committee on Appropriations to re-align the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) into line budget items under the executive branch, while still retaining many of the key features of the pork barrel system.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio was the sole dissenting vote when the committee approved last Wednesday the realignment of the P25-Billion PDAF for 2014.

After a closed-door meeting, the committee approved for the funds to be put into the Department of Public Works and Highways (35%), Department of Social Welfare and Development (20%), Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education (15%), Department of Health (15%), and the Department of Labor and Employment (15%).

But Tinio said that despite the distribution of the PDAF funds to several departments and agencies, it still retains many of the key features of pork barrel such as the exercise of individual discretion by legislators particularly for local infrastructure projects, the right to recommend beneficiaries, and earmarking of specific amounts.

“Unbundled PDAF is still pork. Surely, the public will rightly see this as pork barrel in another form,” Tinio said, in explanation of his “no” vote.

Meanwhile, Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus said that re-aligning the pork barrel into “graft-ridden” agencies is an “attempt to disguise the pork barrel, while assuring politicians continued access to entitlements.”

She said that the move was a ploy by President Aquino, who now has almost half of the treasury’s money under his discretion.

“Maniobra ng administrasyon ni Presidente Aquino ang lahat ng ito para lalo pang masaklaw ng kanyang kapangyarihan ang buong badyet…Ang baboy, kahit adobo, menudo o sinigang ang luto, mananatiling baboy pa rin,” de Jesus told the crowd during yesterday’s huge anti-pork barrel protest.

Gabriela Women’s Party joined the BABALA! Alliance (Babae Laban sa Katiwalian or Women Against Corruption) in Forward March, the second anti-pork barrel protest to be held in Luneta Park.

The Makabayan bloc is calling for a total abolition of the pork barrel system. On Monday, it will present a resolution detailing a more comprehensive plan to properly re-channel the multi-billion congressional and presidential pork barrel into health care, education, housing and other social services.

“Hindi naman na-abolish ang pork barrel system. Wala pang naparurusahan. Kaya makatarungan lamang na patuloy na manindigan ang taumbayan para sa isang badyet na makabayan, makamasa at para sa nakararami, hindi para lamang sa iilan,” de Jesus said.

***********