‘Pork’ good if used responsibly, says Gwen

Cebuano congressmen are not favoring calls to abolish “pork barrel” fund given to legislators.

Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (3rd District) said the “pork barrel” or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) when used in a responsible way can “truly bring benefits to people.”

With Cebu’s nine seats in the House of Representatives, she said P630 million will go back to the residents of the province if used properly. Each congressman is allocated a PDAF of at least P70 million.

One way to ensure the funds benefit the people, according to Garcia, is by channelling the “pork” directly to government agencies which will handle the project’s implementation.

“I do not understand why it is given to foundations and NGOs (non-government organizations). Instead give it to an LGU (local government unit) or government institutions that will implement the project,” she told Cebu Daily News.

Rep. Joseph Ace Durano (5th District) said he is for a “national budget that equitably allocates development funds for all municipalities of the country” which is the PDAF.

He said the country needs the same system of fund allocation because many parts of the country might not be able to receive their share of the development funds.

“This can further be improved or replaced but such a system is needed otherwise many parts of the country will not have the basic infrastructure and services that the PDAF is allocated for,” Durano said in a text message.

Bad connotation

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said the term “pork barrel” has developed a bad connotation for Filipinos due to a number of cases where the funds are exploited by government officials for their personal benefit.

The congressmen, he said, should manage the allocation of their PDAF because they know the needs of their constituents.

“There are two schools of thought for that. The pork barrel is for their pet projects which is very important because people go to them for help,” he said.

“They have to give the congressmen their PDAF for their constituents, as long as they’re used wisely and not for politicking, then I would favor the giving of funds,” he added.

Days ago, legislators, church groups and various sectors of society urged the national government to abolish the PDAF.

The call stemmed from an alleged P10 billion pork barrel scam linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and a number of Filipino legislators, where funds were reportedly deposited in bank accounts of bogus organizations.

Stricter guidelines

However, Garcia said the government should set “stricter guidelines” for government officials in terms of allocating their funds.

Her P70 million PDAF funds, she said, will go straight to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and state colleges for the implementation of projects.

According to Garcia, P40 million of her PDAF will be used for building more schools, roads and bridges in her district while P30 million will go to “soft projects” such as educational scholarships and medical assistance.

“I will concentrate on education especially in our state colleges namely the Cebu Technological University (CTU) in Tuburan and helping poorer barangays with their day care centers,” she said.

Meanwhile, Durano said the budget allocation system of the country can still be improved or even replaced.

If allowed by the Department of Budget and Management, Durano said he will focus his PDAF money for college and vocational scholarships in the fifth district.

“I will also allocate for medical assistance, allowance for volunteer public and school teachers and infra needs of the barangays,” he said.