Rep. Milagros Magsaysay: Where’s our pork?
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—What do former Cabinet members in the previous administration share in common with political allies and relatives of former President Macapagal-Arroyo who are now members of Congress?
House Deputy Minority Floor Leader and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay’s answer: All have not received their share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more commonly known as pork barrel allotment, this year.
The PDAF this year for every lawmaker is P70 million.
Result of being in minority
“That’s the result of being in the minority bloc,” Magsaysay told the Inquirer.
Because the PDAF for her district had yet to come, Magsaysay said, she had closed down a health center that her district ran in Zambales.
Article continues after this advertisement“I have more than 1,000 college scholars. If they can’t get their educational assistance this coming semester, I’m going to advise them to go see President Aquino and demand an explanation,” she said.
Article continues after this advertisement“Our constituencies are suffering,” she added.
She declared that the issuance of her share of the PDAF had been delayed because of her criticism of the Aquino administration.
‘I’m not politicking’
“I criticize, I’m not politicking,” she said.
She said she had spoken her mind on just about any issue, including the Pantawid Pasada (subsidy to jeepney and tricycle drivers), the conditional cash transfer (subsidy to poor families) and the power rate hikes.
In March, Magsaysay called President Aquino the “worst President the country ever had.”
Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas IV reported getting no special allotment release orders (Saros) for projects funded by the PDAF.
Cagas voted against the move in the House of Representatives to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
