Independent lawmakers want Noy’s power over ‘pork’ clipped

MANILA, Philippines - As the House of Representatives moved to abolish the P25-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from the proposed national budget for 2014, its independent bloc of lawmakers sought to clip the President’s full discretionary power over some huge lump funds and break up other “pork” allocations to Malacañang.

The head of the independent bloc, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, made the call as the House on Saturday approved the proposed “pork-less” P2.268-trillion national budget for next year.

The approval, however, left some P450 billion in special purpose funds (SPFs) for President Aquino intact.

The House also issued guidelines on the disbursements of funds that would finance various “hard” or infrastructure and “soft” (scholarships and medical assistance) identified by lawmakers.

“The President is now isolated because Congress has abolished the PDAF. I think a similar move must be done on what we Filipinos see as presidential pork,” Romualdez said.

He said some of the lump sums are “off the books,” or beyond the scrutiny of Congress, like those coming from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and the Motor Vehicle User’s Fund, amounting to a total of about P17 billion, which Aquino can spend anyway he wants.

“He (Aquino) has been hiding behind Marcosian presidential decrees that promote lack of transparency,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez zeroed in on the P130-billion Malampaya fund or the government’s revenues from the natural gas project in Palawan.

He said the presidential discretion over the huge fund was derived from Presidential Decree 910, which prevented Congress from scrutinizing its disbursement.

Romualdez proposed the fund be transferred to the general fund and subjected to congressional appropriations annually when the national budget is being hammered out.

Militant lawmakers led by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said “there must be a stop to the presidential power over this fund and make the natural gas proceeds part of the national treasury and become once and for all subject to congressional scrutiny.”

Colmenares said the Commission on Audit in 2011 recommended the Malampaya fund be made available for appropriation by Congress to augment depleting funds of the national government.

“(It will) greatly ease current financial pressures but will also facilitate the fair allocation of resources to agencies in accordance with their identified plans/programs/activities,” he said.

The independent bloc of lawmakers also insisted on abolition of the SPFs and its planned disbursements be itemized in the proposed national budget.

Romualdez said transferring the SPF to line agencies will help ensure that expenditures will be audited.

Meanwhile, the House issued safeguards on the implementation of projects of lawmakers for their districts as their pork barrel funds were already divided among several implementing agencies.

The guidelines include: strictly no downloads of funds to non-government organizations, full disclosure of details, no downloading of projects outside of the congressional districts, and strict adherence to the Procurement Law and the use of government electronic procurement system and its facilities.

There would be third party monitoring on the implementation of the programs and projects, while the Department of Budget and Management and the respective heads of implementing agencies and their administrators shall be responsible for ensuring information on the projects are posted in detail in their websites.