Partylist lawmaker calls for suspension of pork barrel

Buhay partylist congressman Lito Atienza . INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Buhay Representative Lito Atienza has joined calls for the House of Representatives to suspend the implementation of the priority development assistance fund (PDAF).

Atienza aired the plea Tuesday as investigations into the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam went into full swing.

Specifically, he asked fellow legislators to stop the implementation of the PDAF for the third quarter.

Back in 1984, Atienza recalled being one of the assemblymen who opposed the pork barrel.

“We rejected it altogether with the steady guidance of our venerable Justice Cecilia Munoz Palma. Now that we are back in the same congress, we are confronted with a similar issue that is affecting all of us and the very integrity of this chamber,” the lawmaker said.

He pointed out how the P200-billion worth of pork barrel funds could have created homes, classrooms or provided medical equipment.

“But when we look back at how this money has been utilized, all we see are waiting sheds, basketball courts, covered courts and now the scandalous allegations of giving money to non-existent NGOs,” said Atienza.

He said House members should instead “buckle down to our real work of legislation, and pursue the investigation proposed by our minority floor leader Ronnie Zamora yesterday (Monday) to clear those who are innocent of the charges and punish those who may be guilty.”

The Buhay lawmaker believed that working on the budget and the pork barrel “may not be the proper thing to do” and that they should not “get involved with the delivery of basic services.”

Such tasks were best assigned to the local government units (LGUs), he said.