Lawmakers clarify 2010 ‘pork’ releases

MANILA, Philippines - A former lawmaker and two incumbent members of the House of Representatives clarified yesterday the status of pork barrel funds that former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo released to their districts three months before the May 2010 presidential elections.

Former lawmaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. said he knew of the P502 million released for his constituency in Pampanga’s third district.

“I was aware of the P500 million allotted for projects in my district at the time, but I did not request them,” he said.

Gonzales said the money did not come from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation.

As the implementing agency, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) must explain the issues about the projects undertaken in his district as he had nothing to do with their implementation, he added.

His successor, Oscar Rodriguez, House committee on good government chairman, “is singling me out for political reasons” in looking into Arroyo’s “midnight” pork barrel fund releases, Gonzales said.

Gonzales lost to Rodriguez in the May 2013 elections.

In its initial hearing on Tuesday, the good government committee received documents about Arroyo’s releases from Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.

Rodriguez said one document is a project implementation report showing “zero implementation” in his and Gonzales’ district.

“I am not saying that they funded ghost projects, only there is no record of implementation submitted,” he said.

Arroyo released a total of P502.5 million to Pampanga’s third district and P35 million each to the first and second districts.

No money was given to the fourth district.

Arroyo is now the second district representative in Congress.

The funds were part of P16.5 billion in “congressional insertions” in the 2010 budget that Arroyo made available to her congressional allies shortly before the presidential-congressional-local elections that year.