MANILA, Philippines?The next president will no longer enjoy the power of the pork that his predecessor did by virtue of a key provision inserted into the General Appropriations Act of 2010, a development that could help determine the leadership and alignments in the incoming 15th Congress.

The hands of presumptive president-elect Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III will be tied by Section 67 of the law, which calls for a ?prohibition against impoundment of appropriations,? Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD said Thursday.

The provision prevents the president from withholding the release of a budget allocation without the approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives by a simple majority of the quorum.

Lagman, vice chair of the powerful House appropriations committee, said he introduced the provision during the 2009 budget deliberations to ?protect the appropriations? approved by Congress.

The pork barrel, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), comes from the national budget and funds legislators? pet projects like roads, school buildings and day-care centers. It has long been known to be a source of kickbacks and campaign funds for lawmakers.

A senator is entitled to P200 million in PDAF every year and a member of the House, P70 million.

Fight for speakership

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has used the PDAF as a carrot and stick, releasing it to reward allies and withholding it to punish opposition lawmakers, especially after impeachment complaints were filed against her starting in 2005.

In the past, lawmakers from different political parties, especially in the House, usually joined the administration party or coalition after elections to ensure that they got their pork barrel.

Lagman said Aquino would not be able to dangle the pork to convince lawmakers to join the Liberal Party, which is now consolidating its forces to ensure that the next Speaker would come from its ranks.

?The political party of the president-apparent cannot use the non-release of the PDAF as a threat to representatives coming from other parties who refuse to join the Liberal Party,? Lagman said.

Confident of victory

No matter the incoming President?s loss of the power of the pork, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano ?Sonny? Belmonte is confident of becoming Speaker. He won a congressional seat in the May 10 elections and has been declared the Liberal Party?s official candidate for the speakership.

He said on Wednesday night he would get the support of not only some 30 Lakas ?originals? but also of party-list, Nacionalista Party (NP) and Nationalist People?s Coalition contingents in the House.

Belmonte said he had even talked to the NP president, Sen. Manuel Villar, who organized a meeting for him with NP congressmen.

The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party is also consolidating its forces and has floated the idea of pushing Ms Arroyo, who won a congressional seat in Pampanga, to run for Speaker.

Lagman made it clear that the new pork provision was not intended to clip the powers of Aquino.

?No. When that was passed, he wasn?t even a candidate. He was not in the running. For all you know, he never imagined he would be a president-elect,? he told the Inquirer.

No objection from Aquino

Lagman pointed out that the pork provision passed without any protest from Aquino himself. ?He did not object to that (when) he was part of the approving body,? he said.

In an e-mail to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Lagman said: ?The provision on anti-impoundment was not anticipatory of the outcome of the 2010 elections because it was incorporated in the general appropriations bill in mid-2009 long before the filing of certificates of candidacy and the start of the political campaign.?

He said Ms Arroyo subjected Section 67 to a conditional veto, which did not necessarily lift the lawmakers? power to block any move by the President to impound an allocation, including the pork barrel.

In her veto message to Congress, Ms Arroyo gave the following condition: ?Release of the increased items of appropriations is subject to the identification by Congress of new revenue measures in support thereof.?

Lagman explained: ?Since the PDAF is not sourced from reductions in interest payments, it falls under the general rule provided for by Section 67 that the ?President shall release all budgetary allocations provided for in the GAA (General Appropriations Act).??

Formidable, not invincible

In the battle for the speakership, Belmonte considers Ms Arroyo a strong but not an invincible opponent.

?(Ms Arroyo) is a very formidable person. I?ve known that. I worked with her for more than nine years. You cannot take anything for granted (with her as an opponent),? Belmonte told reporters at the Liberal Party caucus in Cubao, Quezon City.

?(But) I?m very confident ... It?s looking good,? he added.

The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition has said that it might have another candidate for Speaker because Ms Arroyo wanted to have a role similar to that of Sonia Gandhi for India?s Congress Party.

100 in LP coalition

At the party caucus held at the Liberal Party headquarters in Quezon City, Belmonte was ?unanimously? endorsed by around 30 members after Quezon Rep. Lorenzo ?Erin? Tañada III gave way to him.

?We will support him, we will campaign for him and I am confident that he will emerge as the Speaker,? said Sen. Manuel Roxas II, Liberal Party president.

As of Wednesday night, Belmonte said the Liberal Party?s CORE (Conscience and Reform) coalition in the House already had ?more than 100? members. He said he expected more Lakas members to join the coalition.

?I was given a list of those who attended their last caucus and it included a lot of people who have been talking with me, to be frank about it,? he said.

Belmonte said he was not just talking to the ?Lakas originals? but also to around 60 congressmen who were with him in the 11th Congress and who have won seats in the incoming 15th Congress.

?These people have known me, trusted me and worked with me. It?s really an advantage,? he added.

Belmonte said that the Liberal Party was also in talks with the Nacionalista Party and Nationalist People?s Coalition for a possible coalition in the House.

Meeting arranged by Villar

The Nacionalista Party has 23 lawmakers in the House, while the Nationalist People?s Coalition has around 30, he said.

?To be frank, I?ve talked to Senator Villar. I?ve talked to him and it was he who got me a small group together. I talked with them. I think it is a terrific start. We are all looking forward,? Belmonte said.

He said that he also recently talked with 10 congressmen??independents and some Erap [former President Joseph Estrada] boys?in San Juan.

?I think everyone has a chance to think it over. We have a few more weeks to do it before the proclamation of Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino as new president,? Belmonte said.

Tañada said the Liberal Party was well on its way to getting 144 or more allies in the incoming 15th Congress to bag the speakership. The House has 287 seats, including 57 (20 percent) for party-list groups.

He said he withdrew his bid to battle Belmonte for the party?s candidate for speaker so that his friends in the party would not have to choose between him and Belmonte.

?The focus is to consolidate our efforts for July 26, 2010, when we elect the Speaker,? Tañada told reporters. With reports from Leila B. Salaverria and Emil Sarmiento