An alternative to PDAF

When the so-called pork barrel scam exploded in a national paper, the citizenry was split in their reaction. There were many people who could not just believe the news because, to them, the figure mentioned, ten billion pesos, was simply too big for the ordinary taxpayer to imagine. It was highly improbable that anyone, like a certain Janet could have masterminded the plunder of such an incredible amount of money.

But, there were others who have long suspected that some form of pillage has been perpetrated against the country's coffers only that they were hard put at finding any shred of evidence to back their suspicion. They were thus, more inclined to lend credence to the exposé because it was a smoking gun of some kind to prove their hunch. These men and women felt that their own leaders, in the categories of senators and congressmen, have betrayed them. I was one of them.

In the last few days following the million-people march, I have begun to see a justification many legislators advance to keep their pork barrel allocation.  This is unraveling, quite gradually, from the individual interviews recently granted by some of the lawmakers from the lower house. Congressmen have claimed that the pork has been their financial source to fund the educational and medical needs of their constituencies. 

Let us take note of the great care some of our representatives employ in their language. They avoid saying it clearly that they want the pork system to continue for they fear the mob mentality we demonstrated during the National Heroes day march. Instead, they, like master salesmen, attempt to create the need for it - the need by the people, especially the poor, for it. In adroit lingo, these legislators try to entice the support of the poor for the continuation of the pork system. How manipulative can they get when they say that without the pork, our poor brothers cannot get financial assistance for the education of their children. How exploitative are they to say that without the pork they cannot provide money to their ailing constituencies.

Let us forgive these legislators for trying to touch the emotions of the poor.Argumentum ad hominem, while a fallacy, is a favorite way of many a manipulator. Never mind if by so reasoning, they only want to keep the poor among us as helpless mendicants. If they think we are that dimwit such that we do not detest having been taken for a ride, that is the sad plight many of us voters have opted for.

But, let us not forgive our congressmen and senators for misreading the constitution. We must accede that they know it is culpable violation of our fundamental law for them to tell us that legislative power has a different meaning than what is written in our jurisprudence. They are malicious in twisting the concept of this power from that of making, altering or repealing laws to being the power to use public funds to develop political patronage by dispensing scholarship grants or providing medical cards.

Our lawmakers favoring certain students and paying their school fees using public funds? Our legislators developing a voting block by paying the medicines of private individuals using the money that belongs to the people?

Oh my goodness! If they use their God-given talents, and these should be abundant, our lawmakers can pass, thru their legislative mill and by exercising legislative power, laws to establish say, tertiary education with emphasis on providing technical and vocational courses because these are where our poor brothers and sisters may be easily provided with the kind of education with which to secure their future. The allocation needed to put the system in place is going to be a lot cheaper than identifying the individual scholars. The P570 million that Cebu's eight congressmen get in a three-year period, can certainly support such a college for thousands of students to enroll in.

Rather than distribute medical cards, which is not an exercise of legislative power, legislators can draft the laws that build clinics all over their districts where everyone, not just known supporters, maybe treated.

These examples are presented to expose the bankruptcy of the justification some legislators are gradually trying to peddle to us. Knock it off gentlemen.

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