Mayors ask for Syjuco’s pork barrel

Iloilo City — All eight municipal mayors in the congressional district of Iloilo Rep. Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco have asked President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to release his Priority Development Assistance Fund, or more derisively called “pork barrel,” directly to their towns.

“We appeal to Your Excellency to release the PDAF or similar amount, divided equally, directly to the local government units,” the mayors of Iloilo’s second district said in a letter dated Nov. 25.

The signatories were Mayors Juanito Acanto (Alimodian), Enrique Rojas (Leganes), Rolito Cajilig (Leon), Liecel Mondejar-Seville (New Lucena), Arcadio Gorriceta (Pavia), Victor Saclauso (San Miguel), Dennis Superficial (Sta. Barbara) and Gregorio Brazas (Zarraga).

They said they only learned of the non-release of Syjuco’s PDAF in a statement of the lawmaker that appeared in a newspaper on Nov. 12.

“We believe that this fund is intended for the promotion of the general welfare and to expedite development in our district. We will assure transparency in fund utilization as well as efficient project,” they said.

Syjuco has been accused of various anomalies especially during his stint as director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the Arroyo administration but he has also dismissed these accusations as the work of his political rivals.

He has complained of the nonrelease of his annual P70-million PDAF since April and has accused his rivals who, he claimed, were close to Mr. Aquino, of blocking it.

He claimed on Sunday that officials in the Aquino administration had confirmed that “there was an order from above” not to release his PDAF. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was unavailable for comment as he was in a meeting yesterday.

The projects and programs, including infrastructure and social services, in the second district have been severely affected because of the withholding of the PDAF, according to Syjuco.

In his 68th birthday party Sunday, he asked municipal and village officials to sign a petition calling on the national government to release the funds. /INQUIRER