Pork barrel alive in House budget

The P2.268 trillion budget for 2014 approved by the House of Representatives has maintained the P25.2B PDAF fund by assigning it to 6 Executive departments, where congressmen can apply for their district projects.

That the PDAF is alive is clearly indicated by the fact that each congressman is allocated P24.5 million each from the Department of Public Works and Highways lump-sum appropriations. This amount can be augmented by other funds of the DPWH, from the Road Board funds and the Department of Agriculture (DA).

If the Senate is to recover its good name, it should insist that the P25.2B PDAF be abolished and not realigned to other departments.

Presidential pork untouched

Former National Treasurer Leonor Briones is correct. She said that the President has over a trillion pesos in discretionary funds including P450 billion in special purpose funds. ACT party-list Antonio Tinio estimated the Presidential pork barrel at P964 billion.

DBM Secretary Florencio Abad revealed that the President has a Disbursement Acceleration Fund (DAF), which is funded by savings from unused personal services appropriations. The DAF also referred to as the Economic Stimulus Fund, has been used by the President for all kinds of projects, including P1.107 billion released to senators, 3 months after the Corona impeachment.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada is correct. Senators were given an average P50 million each on top of their P200 million PDAF, with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, then Senate Finance Committee chair Franklin Drilon, and Senator Chiz Escudero, getting about P100 million each.

Abad explained the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) was introduced in 2011 to pump up spending.

The senators who received additional pork after Corona’s impeachment were Antonio Trillanes, P50 million; Manuel Villar, P50 million; Ramon Revilla Jr., P50 million; Loren Legarda, 50 million; Lito Lapid, P50 million; Jinggoy Estrada, 50 million; Alan Peter Cayetano, P50 million; Edgardo Angara, P50 million; Francis Pangilinan, P30 million;

Serge Osmeña, P50 million; Teofisto Guingona, P44 million; Gringo Honasan, P50 million; and Pia Cayetano, P50 million. Senator Joker Arroyo denied receiving P47 million, saying they were amendments to the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and hospital budgets, not PDAF.

With the infusion of funds into DAP from savings, the Presidential pork barrel is unlimited. Add to it unprogrammed funds from additional tax collections.

The Senate has not passed the 2014 budget on 2nd reading. It still has time to reduce or remove Presidential pork, especially the DAP and other special purpose funds.

Not yet over

Contrary to an announcement of DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas and DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, the fighting continues on the 21st day as clashes erupted in Barangay Rio Hondo, with 6 Moro National Liberation Front fighters killed and 3 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel wounded.

Gazmin said the clearing operation would take another 2 weeks as Commander Ustadz Habier Malik continued to elude capture. Latest casualty figures released show 183 MNLF rebels killed, while 23 AFP and PNP personnel have died; 12 civilians were killed and 72 wounded.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced the evacuees will stay in the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Stadium and 37 evacuation centers up to October 31.

Lacson confirms current corruption

Former Senator Ping Lacson, in a speech before the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that corruption on PDAF funds persists under the Aquino Administration from July 2010 to the present.

He also said that there are 10 other Napoles-type operators out there.

Meanwhile, Technology Resource Center (TRC) Director General Dennis Cunanan confirmed that P500 million PDAF funds of legislators were released through the TRC, most of them to non-government organizations (NGOs).

Again, it must be pointed out that in the release of P500 million to TRC, P3 billion to several Department of Agriculture agencies, P900 million to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), P500 million to the Technology Resource Center (TRC) , and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was an indispensable participant.

Contractors tell us a standard 3-5% bribe is paid for every DBM release.

Defective helmets again

Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano has presented a resolution to investigate the Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) procurement of helmets after the father of 1st Lt. Francis Damian complained to him that his son died when the sniper’s bullet pierced his helmet and went through his forehead.

Albano said the helmets are supposed to be bullet proof.

Bad news all around

The PDAF scam has widened to 8 departments and local government units expanded to non-PDAF funds, including the Malampaya Fund and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Alberto Ayad, chief of police, and another officer of Arteche Eastern Samar was killed in an ambush by suspected NPA rebels. Fifty-one barangay chairmen and 49 kagawads have been killed since January 2013.

Fighting in Zamboanga City is still ongoing. DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin says another 10 days of clearing is needed; 221 people have died. The Abu Sayyaf is active in Sulu and Basilan. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are ravaging in North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat, including blasting down a National Grid Corp. in the Philippines (NGCP) tower and taking hostages, beheading one farmer and executing another.

The NPAs are active in Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Davao City, Surigao Del Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Quezon.

Floods and landslides are everywhere from Metro Manila to Central Luzon and Southern Luzon, with 31 killed, with 23 in Zambales.

Governor E.R. Ejercito is disqualified by Comelec, despite a 50,000 majority.

Unemployment is up to 7.3%. Rice prices are up to P45/kilo. Rice and sugar smuggling is continuing, while the Bureau of Customs is in disarray.

President Aquino is going on 3 foreign trips in October, including South Korea, Indonesia, and Brunei.

The only good news — Megan Young of Subic is crowned Miss World 2013.