People’s initiative vs pork barrel launched

CEBU, Philippines - The Abolish Pork Movement-Cebu yesterday launched the people’s initiative, a signature campaign targeting at least three percent of the total registered voters in every legislative district in the province to support the call to abolish the pork barrel system.

The group is calling for a legislation to totally remove all forms of lump sum discretionary funds in the government. The campaign also sought the return of all “unobligated” funds to the general fund.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling that declared unconstitutional the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the use of the Malampaya Funds and the President’s Social Fund, the group believes that this does not change the mechanism since legislators still have the discretionary power to realign their pork funds into other items under agencies of  the Executive Department.

“We demand the abolition of the pork barrel system and the direct allocation of taxpayers’ money and other public funds to public hospital, schools, housing and other social services. We must remove the discretionary power of individual politicians and government officials over such funds,” the group said in its statement.

The group also noted that President Benigno Aquino III continues to retain his presidential pork as approved in the national budget for the year 2014.

“Nakalusot at hindi effective ‘yong decision ng Supreme Court na i-abolish ang pork. Sa 2014 budget, meron diyang pork barrel. Maraming lump sum budget. Pag-lump sum siya, iisang tao lang ang nag-dedesisyon niyan,” said Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares.

Colmenares  pointed out the Assistance to Local Government Unit (ALGU) fund which Sen. Jinggoy Estrada reportedly utilized P100 million for the City of Manila.

“Buhay na buhay ang pork barrel. Ituloy ang laban ng mga taga Cebu. You only need three percent voters per district for the signature campaign,” Colmenares said.

People’s initiative, introduced by former chief justice Renato Puno, gives power to the people to enact a law without the parti-cipation of the legislative and executive departments.

The 1987 Constitution requires that the people should compile signatures of at least 10 percent of the national registered voters with three percent from each legislative district.

Colmenares said that the remaining seven percent would compose the Overseas Filipino Workers registered voters.

Interfaith, academic institutions and non-government organizations convened yesterday for the launching.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers-7 also vowed to join the call for people’s initiative to bar the allocation of discretionary funds among the legislators.

“We need to stop that source of ‘evil act’. Their money must now be returned to the people through the social services of the government, like education and health,” said ACT-7 president Antonia Lim.

“We are also ready to mobilize our strong 5,000 members throughout the region not only to sign but gather signatures in their locality. Surely, the people will win this battle,” Lim added. — (FREEMAN)