Prosecution of guilty must be rallying cry

To join rallies and express our indignation on the gross anomaly of using hard earned taxpayer money is fine. Let the government leaders know we are angry and crying for justice. And the message must be clear – we want the immediate prosecution of the guilty parties.

To cry out loud and demand that the pork barrel be scrapped is easy. But we should not stop there. We should bring out suggestions on preferred alternatives. Let’s not depend again on our lawmakers to create a system that will suit their agenda. This is where most of our energy and thinking power must be used. To rally is fine, but to just rally and shout is not enough. We must voice our preferred alternative.

Understanding budget allocation

To understand the Priority Assistance Development Fund in our national spending, we must dig deep into the pork barrel system of the US Yes, apparently, this is the model country whence our own version of this congressional spending allocation originates.

Wikipedia defines the pork barrel as: funding for government programs whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers. Public works projects, certain national defense spending projects, and agricultural subsidies are the most commonly cited examples.

Scrutiny of US pork barrel

The pork barrel of the US has also been scrutinized and criticized, even as early as the late 1800s after the American Civil War. Today, there are more sophisticated organizations like the Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that watch over government spending, including the pork barrels.

Founded in 1984, this private, non-partisan, non-profit organization boasts of more than one million members and supporters in the US. It has a lobbying arm, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), whose mission is to advocate the elimination of waste and inefficiency in government through nonpartisan public education programs and lobbying activities. 

The organization has an interesting history and a long line of impressive deeds, one of the more famous being the annual Congressional Pig Book Summary containing the most glaring and irresponsible pork-barrel projects in the US.

Open mind and less emotional outburst

In light of the current debate whether the PDAF is retained, albeit with changes to safeguard taxpayers’ money, or to totally scrap the allocations to lawmakers, it is necessary to invoke utmost transparency, an open mind, and less emotional outbursts.

Of course, the last criteria would be difficult to ask from our countrymen given the extent by which the PDAF had been abused, perhaps even years before Janet Napoles, et. al. allegedly milked the system, and in big probability, connived with certain lawmakers.

In the course of my interaction with many lawmakers for over three decades now, I have seen many who have made their PDAF work for the genuine welfare of their constituents (by congressmen) or the general public (by senators).

But there have also been those who abused this trust, even citing without shame the most bizarre and twisted of reasons. You can surmise where unguarded retorts of these guilty lawmakers come from.

Constituencies’ demands tolerated system

With a system that’s been tolerated for decades, the political machinery has found solutions to the never-ending queue of people asking for help: to bury a kin, to have a child baptized, or a little financial assistance to partially defray hospitalization or sickness costs.

Then there are also letters asking for some financial support for the local fiesta, a basketball tournament, an exhibition, etc. The list of wants and needs can just go on and on, and many of our lawmakers have tried to find the funds so that their constituents don’t go home empty-handed and disappointed.

Being Robin Hood not acceptable

But there is no excusing a wrong deed. And as much as we would like to think that the concerned legislators were doing a Robin Hood act, still, acquiring funds through unacceptable and illegal means is a no-no.

Even if the “commissions” received by some of our legislators for looking favorably on one “persuasive” beneficiary were all to be spent on the people, with not one centavo going to the lawmaker’s personal kitty, there is still something not right in this kind of mindset.

Unfortunately, time and circumstances has dulled this line between right and wrong, and consequently opened a Pandora’s Box where out-and-out deceptive transactions were manipulated for outright personal gains.

Corruption in the Philippines is a pervasive problem that has been nurtured by generations of political families, and worse, has infected those newbies that found acceptable all the wrong arguments.

Transparency thru continuing audit

Back to the debate, though. The PDAF, or whatever label it may come with changes, is still a powerful resource that can immediately bridge the bureaucratic gap in fund releases for emergency needs and projects. No need to wait for the next budget cycle to end.

When a typhoon, for example, destroys a small bridge, a congressman can immediately order the release of part or all of his allocated funds to immediately repair the damage.

An unfinished road that ran out of funds for whatever reason may be completed from this “emergency” fund. Or seeds that have been damaged may be replaced in time for the upcoming planting season.

Perhaps there is scope to discuss just how much really should be allocated to a senator or congressman, or who should be given regardless of their political party affiliation.

In this age where transparency is just a click away, what with the Internet and computer programs, there is scope for the PDAF release procedures to be tightened to avoid misuse and abuse. As part of stronger control mechanism, the inter-agency team that was formed for the special audit of previous years’ pork barrel should also be retained to conduct continuing audit and review of fund releases.

Accountability and swift recrimination

But transparency is not enough. There must be accountability and quick recrimination for anyone that is found misusing or abusing the use of these funds. The process to investigate and prosecute must be swift and not easily blocked by scheming lawyers in behalf of their clients. Public shame and jail time are strong warnings to others thinking of violating public trust.

As a contingency fund, the PDAF really is a minute fraction of the total government budget. Last year, the total allocated amount was merely a percent of the total state operation’s fund appropriation.

But of course, stealing is stealing. Even if it were just a centavo.

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