Senator Joker Arroyo. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Some P500-million worth of priority development assistance fund (PDAF) was allegedly given to 11 senators at the height of the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona, former Senator Joker Arroyo said on Tuesday.
This was on top of the P50-million “incentive” that Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said was also allegedly given to senators, who voted to impeach Corona.
Arroyo said the P500-million PDAF was given to the senators in April 2011.
“At the height of the impeachment in April, over P500 million was taken from PDAF not DAP (Disbursement Allocation Fund) and given to I think eleven senators at the height of the impeachment,” he told reporters at the Senate.
“Can you imagine, about P500 million came from PDAF at the height of the impeachment trial, and after the trial another P1 billion was taken from DAP?”
“These are the amounts, we cannot say that is just nothing. Can you imagine that kind of money that the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) tosses around?” he added.
But Arroyo refused to say whether there was something malicious or wrong with the alleged fund release at the height of the impeachment proceedings.
Sought for comment, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said he has yet to check on Arroyo’s claim when he returns from Burma on Wednesday.
In a privilege speech last week, Estrada disclosed that P50-million “incentive” was given to senators who voted to impeach Corona.
Abad admitted the fund allocation but said it was neither a bribe nor a reward. He even released during the weekend the names of 20 senators, who received the allocation months after Corona’s impeachment. The list included Arroyo who did not vote to impeach Corona.
Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson voted to convict Corona but he declined to accept the P50-million fund allocation.
Arroyo then raised a howl over his inclusion in the list, saying he did not get the P50 million. He confirmed though that his office made a request last February 4, 2013 for the release of the P47 million of his 2012 amendments.
While deliberating the 2013 budget, Arroyo said he wanted to introduce an amendment but then finance committee chairman and now Senate President Franklin Drilon allegedly told him to just write down his proposals.
“The idea is no more debate, so I (gave) him a piece of paper. I thought all along my amendments will be carried because there was no debate…” he said.
Had he known that his proposal would be placed under DAP, Arroyo said he would have not agreed to it “because I don’t like PDAF, and what more with this DAP?”