5 senate bets for PDAF abolition

CEBU, Philippines - Five senatorial candidates are in favor of the abolition of pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund of legislators.

They said the PDAF is a source of corruption and is used as bait by the executive department to lobby among legislators to vote for or oppose a specific legislation.

Lito David, JC de los Reyes and Marwill Llasos of Kapatiran Party were the guests in yesterday’s 888 News Forum.

They said there is no law that mandates the President to give PDAF to legislators as this is a discretionary act.

“President Aquino has the biggest PDAF of them all. He has P300 billion PDAF per year or more. Dapat talagang alisin ang PDAF,” said David.

Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, one of senatorial bets under the United Nationalist Alliance, said that for two years and a half, she does not have pork barrel funds but still, she was able to deliver basic services to her constituents like health services and scholarship programs.

“I want it abolished so that congressmen and senators will concentrate more on making or repealing laws and do its oversight functions,” Magsaysay said.

She added however that majority of those who are elected do not care about legislations, which is supposed to be the primary job of legislators.

“These people run into office because of pork barrel. Tanggalin na ang pork barrel para yung gustong tumakbo talaga ay matatalino and magagaling and has the heart to serve,” she added.

Former Senate President Ernesto Maceda, in the same forum, said that a senator only has a PDAF of P200 million per year which is not enough for the entire country.

Maceda said that although he is for the scrapping of PDAF, he does not see it coming.

The annual Congressional Allocation of Legislators shall not exceed the amount of P70 million for congressional district and partylist representative and P200 million for senators.

According to the Department of Budget and Management, such allocations are broken down as follows:

Congressional district or Partylist Representative must allocate P30 million for soft programs and projects like financial subsidy to local government units and P40 million for infrastructure projects.  For senators, they can allocate P100 million each for soft projects and infrastructures.

PDAF is a lump-sum appropriation in the annual General Appropriations Act to fund the priority development programs and projects of the government. — (FREEMAN)