Palace: Opposition pork barrel went straight to their districts
Malacañang on Friday said that the districts of opposition lawmakers got several millions of pesos worth of projects from the government despite their being members of the opposition.
Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte cited the district of Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo which received P218 million in infrastructure projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and P51 million for its health facility program from the Department of Health (DOH) for a total of P269 million in projects for 2011.
She also cited Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco whose district got P39.5 million for various road projects, P46 million for health, P3.5 million for electrification and P251 million in agriculture funds or a total of P340 million in projects in the same year.
“This is in response to some of the allegations that their districts are being left unfunded. This is the total amount of money that has been poured in for projects under their districts,” Valte said in Friday’s news briefing in Malacañang.
Straight to constituents
Arroyo and Syjuco were among those that Budget Secretary Florencio Abad earlier said have yet to receive their share of the priority development assistance fund (PDAF), popularly known as pork barrel, for 2011.
The others were Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and the late Negros Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.
In an earlier news briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the government would rather go straight to the lawmakers’ constituents to provide for their needs if their representatives in Congress weren’t supportive of the government’s policies and programs.
In Magsaysay’s case, Valte said the government gave her district P18.3 million worth of projects from the DPWH,
P22.5 million for health facility enhancement and P9 million for the electrification of eight sitios in her district, for a total of P49.8 million in projects.
Told that the lawmakers’ identified projects under the PDAF were not those funded, Valte said, “What’s important here is that the district is not left unattended.”
“The important thing is for our countrymen in her district in Zambales still get projects. Congresswoman Magsaysay is a very intelligent woman, I’m sure that she knows that she can continue to coordinate for her projects,” Valte said.
Abad said earlier this week that instead of the lawmakers’ PDAF, the funds come from unused appropriations, savings from agencies, windfall dividends from government-owned and -controlled corporations, realigned items from agencies, among others.
Based on gov’t priorities
“Without touching the PDAF, we source funds to assist the district working through the governor or the mayors or through national agencies or a combination,” Abad said in a text message.
“The projects are selected based on their consistency with the government’s priorities,” he added.
Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez’s district got P136 million in DPWH projects and P56.3 million in DOH projects for a total of P192.3 million. This is apart from the release of his entire P70 million in PDAF for 2011.
Those who didn’t sign the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona—such as Deputy Speaker and Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco—also received projects apart from their PDAF entitlements.
Valte said Remulla’s seventh district of Cavite got P4 million from the Department of Agriculture for 43 scholars while Tiangco’s constituents in Navotas City got P105 million from the DPWH.
The district of Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, who also didn’t sign the impeachment complaint against Corona, received P373.9 million from the DPWH.
First posted 11:58 pm | Friday, March 16th, 2012
