Abad accused of lying, hiding ‘pork’ in 2016 budget

MANILA, Philippines – Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was lying when he declared there was no “pork” in the 2016 national budget, one of the lead petitioners in the Supreme Court against the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) said yesterday.

“(Abad) is using the same pork barrel system the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional, but in greater amounts. Almost half of the budget are pork barrel funds of the President,” Greco Belgica said in a statement.

He warned that funds put at the discretion of the President or administration officials might be used for election purposes, specifically for bribing polls officials and even Smartmatic, which is the provider of election counting machines.

He said that in the SC ruling against DAP and PDAF, any lump sums and discretionary funds given to politicians or officials are unconstitutional, regardless of whether such officials belong to the executive or legislative departments.

He added special purpose funds, automatic appropriations fund and unprogrammed funds remain to be lump sums and discretionary to the President.

Belgica said lawmakers follow the dictates of the DBM so they can get their share of pork for the elections.

“Most of them don’t even bother to go through the GAA (General Appropriations Act) because of the established system of collusion between the executive and the legislative body to get their share of the pork the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional,” he added.

Belgica explained that “bottom up” budgeting is a system prescribed in the Local Government Code and that instead of following the law by making it go through the process of the local development council, “they (administration officials) opted again to cut short the process by not organizing the councils, therefore directly putting the request and so the money to the national agencies.”

“Thus, discretionary and once again lump sum funds to the President and for Mar’s campaign,” he said, referring to administration standard bearer in next year’s elections Manuel Roxas II.

Abad, he said, cannot point an accusing finger at Congress because he proposes and controls the budget while dangling funds to lawmakers. 

“I challenge Abad to answer in public our evidences of pork barrel allocations in the GAA one by one and face to face like true leaders and gentlemen,” he said.

“If I prove him wrong then he must resign, face the consequences of his actions and allow us to correct their mistakes. If I am wrong then I will keep quiet and face the consequences of my allegations,” Belgica pointed out. – With Jess Diaz