Noy: Everyone will get 'pork'

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday said that opposition lawmakers whose pork barrel allocations have been reportedly withheld can discuss details on the release of their priority development assistance fund (PDAF) with Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

“I instructed Secretary Abad that everybody should get their share in pork barrel allocations,” he told reporters in a briefing at the Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran.

The President issued the statement in reaction to the boycott of opposition congressmen in the budget hearing at the House of Representatives.

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman and his colleagues decided to boycott the budget hearings that started Monday after legislators who do not belong to the administration coalition were deprived of their “pork.”

Aquino said it is not his policy to withhold the pork barrel funds of his political enemies unlike during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when opposition solons never received any of their PDAF for the entire duration of their term.

Malacannang belied the claims by members of the House minority that they were not getting pork barrel allocations from the Aquino administration.

“We can assure the constituents (of lawmakers) that the services and resources that are allocated to them will reach them,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said.

Carandang made the comment as Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas said he was willing to do anything, even kneel before the President, just to get his PDAF.

But Carandang said the Department of Public Works and Highways’ allocation for the district of Cagas increased by P60 million from P194.65 million in 2011 to P255.5 million in 2012; and by more than P46 million in 2011 – from P147.79 million in 2010 to P194.65 million this year.

“And yet many representatives last year even from within the (administration) coalition were getting less than P50 million – like Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo – but were not ranting about it,” Carandang said.

He added that the release of funds would be based on the priorities set by the President.

“Number one, we want to make sure the projects that the congressmen were proposing were in line with the President’s priorities. They must be aligned with the national priorities,” Carandang said.

Cagas said he submitted his PDAF proposal even before the 2011 budget had been approved by Congress but not a single centavo had been released for his district.

The House opposition earlier threatened to boycott the budget hearings if all its members would not get the full P70-million allocation for each lawmaker.

Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, who so far has only received P29.5 million out of the P35 million first tranche of the PDAF, also complained of the delayed release of pork barrel funds.

Tiangco vowed to grill Abad during the budget hearing to find out why some congressmen have yet to get half of their P70-million pork barrel.

He said that Abad texted him, saying that “the President wanted his pork barrel withheld.”

The budget secretary, however, denied Tiangco’s claims.

Lawmakers started deliberations on the proposed 2012 national budget last Monday. Of the minority lawmakers, only Cagas and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales attended the first budget hearing.

For his part, Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento said Malacañang and the House leadership would not allow partisan considerations in determining the funding allocations for congressional districts.

Sarmiento said it is unnecessary for any congressman to beg from Malacañang just to be able to secure funds for their districts.

“In fairness to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, he is doing everything to make sure that everyone would get their fair share of their congressional allocations. And in fairness to President Aquino and Malacañang, there is no order for the DBM to withhold the release of allocations for those who are not allied with the administration,” he said.

He said the slight delay in the release of funds for some congressional districts has something to do with ongoing efforts to rationalize the use of funds, especially in infrastructure projects, to plug leakages.

“I know that the Speaker is moving heaven and earth just to comply with everyone’s request but it’s really impossible for him to please everyone all at the same time because of the sheer volume of these requests,” he said. With Paolo Romero