WENT STRAIGHT TO THEIR DISTRICTS
MANILA, MARCH 17, 2012
(INQUIRER) By Norman Bordadora - Malacañang on Friday said that
the districts of opposition lawmakers got several millions of pesos worth of
projects from the government despite their being members of the opposition.
Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte (photo) cited the
district of Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo which received P218
million in infrastructure projects from the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) and P51 million for its health facility program from the
Department of Health (DOH) for a total of P269 million in projects for 2011.
She also cited Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco whose district got P39.5 million
for various road projects, P46 million for health, P3.5 million for
electrification and P251 million in agriculture funds or a total of P340 million
in projects in the same year.
"This is in response to some of the allegations that their districts are
being left unfunded. This is the total amount of money that has been poured in
for projects under their districts," Valte said in Friday's news briefing in
Malacañang.
Straight to constituents
Arroyo and Syjuco were among those that Budget Secretary Florencio Abad
earlier said have yet to receive their share of the priority development
assistance fund (PDAF), popularly known as pork barrel, for 2011.
The others were Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan
Miguel Arroyo and the late Negros Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.
In an earlier news briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said
the government would rather go straight to the lawmakers' constituents to
provide for their needs if their representatives in Congress weren't supportive
of the government's policies and programs.
In Magsaysay's case, Valte said the government gave her district P18.3
million worth of projects from the DPWH,
P22.5 million for health facility enhancement and P9 million for the
electrification of eight sitios in her district, for a total of P49.8 million in
projects.
Told that the lawmakers' identified projects under the PDAF were not those
funded, Valte said, "What's important here is that the district is not left
unattended."
"The important thing is for our countrymen in her district in Zambales still
get projects. Congresswoman Magsaysay is a very intelligent woman, I'm sure that
she knows that she can continue to coordinate for her projects," Valte said.
Abad said earlier this week that instead of the lawmakers' PDAF, the funds
come from unused appropriations, savings from agencies, windfall dividends from
government-owned and -controlled corporations, realigned items from agencies,
among others.
Based on gov't priorities
"Without touching the PDAF, we source funds to assist the district working
through the governor or the mayors or through national agencies or a
combination," Abad said in a text message.
"The projects are selected based on their consistency with the government's
priorities," he added.
Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez's district got P136 million in DPWH projects and
P56.3 million in DOH projects for a total of P192.3 million. This is apart from
the release of his entire P70 million in PDAF for 2011.
Those who didn't sign the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato
Corona—such as Deputy Speaker and Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla and Navotas Rep.
Tobias Tiangco—also received projects apart from their PDAF entitlements.
Valte said Remulla's seventh district of Cavite got P4 million from the
Department of Agriculture for 43 scholars while Tiangco's constituents in
Navotas City got P105 million from the DPWH.
The district of Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, who also didn't sign the
impeachment complaint against Corona, received P373.9 million from the DPWH.
FROM MANILA STANDARD
With pork control, Palace out to cripple opposition
Friday, 16 March, 2012 22:29 Written by Maricel Cruz
THE Palace is out to cripple the political opposition in the 2013
elections by taking control of their priority development assistance funds,
minority lawmakers charged Friday.
House Minority Leader and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay said she would
consider challenging the Executive department's "excessive abuse of authority
and power" over funds that had been legally appropriated under the
Appropriations Act before the Supreme Court.
Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua, a member of the committee on appropriations,
condemned what he described as the "despotic and tyrannical tendencies" of
President Benigno Aquino III.
Fua, a senior member of the opposition and a lawyer, said the Palace's
practice of bypassing the lawmakers critical of the administration and going
directly to their communities was "blatantly questionable, illegal and
imperious" and aimed at making them look bad.
"It's meant to discredit opposition congressmen as 'do nothings' before their
constituents to unduly favor Malacañang's favored bets in the 2013 elections,"
Fua told the Manila Standard.
Fua said the practice of taking control of a congressman's pork allocation
was legally untenable because it trampled on the independence of the Legislative
branch of government.
"Why is the Executive disbursing the finds of opposition congressmen under
the guise of delivering services directly to constituents?" Magsaysay said.
"Clearly, PDAF are funds for lawmakers, not for the Office of the President.
It cannot be abused and used to punish those critical of the Aquino government
because of its lapses, miscues and lack of direction and performance."
Earlier this week, Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda singled out Magsaysay as
one of the critics of the Aquino administration who was being punished for her
political attacks on the government.
Lacierda said the Palace would take control of and disburse the PDAF of
opposition congressmen by releasing the funds directly to their congressional
districts.
Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, a member of the House committee on local
governments, said a congressman should be the one to identify projects and
services needed by his or her constituents, and that it was not for the Palace
to decide.
If such power and authority resided solely in the Executive, Datumanong said,
then Malacañang should also take full control, direct and disburse the PDAF
funds of all 284 members of Congress, especially the pork barrel of Speaker
Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and other administration allies in the House.
Rep. Rodolfo Albano accused the Aquino administration of "unbridled
vindictiveness" against opposition lawmakers.
Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco said Lacierda's admission confirmed his
testimony at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona about how the
Palace used pork to control the congressmen.
House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said Malacanang's policy
on pork was clear: "Either you are with them or you are not."
Anyone who refused to bow to Malacañang's will and openly criticized its
misdeeds would be declared an enemy.
Malacañang on Friday admitted that it had not yet released the pork barrel of
some opposition lawmakers. but insisted that "no district will be left behind"
with its new policy.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the releases for
infrastructure projects and social services in some districts came from the
savings of the national government and not from the Priority Development
Assistance Funds of their representatives.
"What is important is that the district is not left unattended," Valte said.
"What is important is that our constituents get the projects that are due
them … which are funded by our savings."
Valte, however, could not explain where the unreleased pork barrel goes,
saying she would have to consult first with the Budget Department.
"I am unaware at this point what happens to that (unreleased PDAF). I will
ask Budget Secretary Florencio Abad," she said.
She cited the following 2011 savings-funded projects released to some of the
lawmakers who had complained of not receiving their PDAF:
• P22 million for infrastructure projects and P65 million for health facility
enhancement projects for the second district of Pampanga under Rep. Gloria
Arroyo
• P218 million for infrastructure projects and P51 million for health
facility enhancement projects for the second district of Camarines Sur under
Rep. Diosdado Arroyo
• P18 million for infrastructure projects, P22 million for health enhancement
projects, and P9 million for electrification projects for the first district of
Zambales under Magsaysay
• P105 million for infrastructure projects for the lone district of Navotas
under Tiangco
• P198 million for infrastructure projects for the first district of Davao
del Sur under Rep. Marc Cagas
• P373 million for infrastructure projects and P4 million for electrification
projects for the second district of Batangas under Rep. Hermilando Mandanas
• P39 million for infrastructure projects, P46 million for health facility
enhancement projects and P3 million for the second district of Iloilo under Rep.
Augusto Syjuco
• P136 million for infrastructure projects and P56 million for health
facility enhancement projects for the third district of Quezon under Suarez
• P4 million for a scholarship program for the seventh district of Cavite
under Rep. Crispin Remulla.
"From these figures, we can see that we have been allocating funds for
projects in these districts regardless if their representatives are from the
minority," Valte said.
Abad, in a statement, insisted that the PDAF of the minority lawmakers have
already been released, citing the pork barrel received by Suarez, Gloria Arroyo,
Amelita Villarova, Arthur Yap and Edcel Lagman. Joyce Pangco Pañares
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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