Tañada washes hands of P220-M infra ‘pork’

MANILA, Philippines - Former Quezon representative Lorenzo Tañada III said yesterday he had nothing to do with the P220 million that then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo released to his district shortly before the May 2010 elections.

“Congressional insertions of those amounts were not allowed by the House committee on appropriations. We were limited only to P5 million if approved by the chairman. I don’t recall asking the committee on appropriations for approval of the said amount,” he said.

Tañada represented Quezon’s fourth district for nine years until 2013.

“During my first term, after I voted for the impeachment of GMA, I did not receive any PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund). However, it was discovered that the GMA administration placed funds in my district without me knowing at all,” he said.

“I welcome the investigation of the House of Representatives and Secretary (Rogelio) Singson (of the Department of Public Works and Highways). It will uncover corruption in the DPWH before Secretary Singson’s assumption of office,” he added.

He surmised that the P220 million that his constituency received in February to March 2010 might have been “regular funding of the DPWH for the national highway that passes through my district.”

Arroyo’s last-minute infrastructure and river de-silting fund releases are reflected in documents Singson has turned over to the committee on good government chaired by Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, which is looking into such disbursements.

Tañada belongs to the Liberal Party. His partymate, then senator Benigno Aquino III, won the 2010 presidential vote under the LP banner.

The constituency of another partymate, then representative Proceso Alcala of Quezon’s second district, received P560 million from Arroyo. Aquino appointed Alcala as agriculture secretary after assuming the presidency.

In contrast, the third district, then represented by Danilo Suarez, received P120 million, while the first district of Mark Enverga was given only P5 million. Suarez was one of Arroyo’s staunchest allies.

Singson said the disbursements were neither regular funding of his agency nor PDAF allocations.

They were part of nearly P68 billion in appropriations inserted by Congress in the 2010 budget, he said.

He said Arroyo made a “conditional veto” of such insertions, declaring that they would only be released if Congress first found revenue sources.

However, the Arroyo administration released them even without the required funding sources, he said.