Senators divided on abolition, realignment of pork

For now, it looks like the House of Representatives is going it alone in the realignment of Congress’ P25-billion pork barrel in the 2014 national budget.

The Senate is torn between scrapping its own pork barrel from the P2.268-trillion budget and realigning it. Either way, it hasn’t made up its mind.

“We’ve agreed in our caucus to respect the House decision to realign their portion of the pork barrel. If they wish to realign it, that’s their decision,” Sen. Francis Escudero, chair of the Senate finance committee, said over dzBB.

The House has approved on final reading the proposed 2014 national budget, realigning the  P25.2 billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to six agencies.

Members of the House, however, retained the power to propose infrastructure projects early in the budgeting process so they could be included in the line-item budgeting.

Given the backlash over the pork barrel scandal, the Senate as a whole isn’t about to follow the House lead.

Escudero, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Sen. Vicente Sotto III have pushed for total abolition, but some of their colleagues favored realignment.

Despite earlier optimistic reports that 17 senators supported the abolition of pork, Escudero doubted that the number of senators scrapping pork would reach a majority.

“My assumption is that it won’t reach a majority. That’s why it will come down to individual decision,” he said. “If indeed a majority of senators are in favor, why don’t we vote on resolutions calling for its abolition?”

Part of the reason is that every senator has a different idea of the pork barrel, Escudero said.

But it has also become clear that the old practice of allocating their PDAF for infrastructure projects and social services dies hard on senators who also support the abolition.

Pimentel’s reservations

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said he was in favor of the abolition because this would reduce the budget deficit and government borrowing, but he acknowledged some reservations.

“I have reservations because there are many people asking for our help,” he said in a recent phone interview. “But either way, we’re able to help the government.”

If all senators agree to the pork’s abolition, the P2.268 trillion would be slashed by P4.8 billion since each one is allotted P200 million in PDAF every year.

Gradual

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has pushed for either immediate or gradual abolition of the PDAF. But then again, she said waiving her pork barrel would not stop graft in the bureaucracy.

“I want it abolished. But if I’m outvoted, we should make sure that guidelines are so strict that any violation can be detected by the public,” she said in a recent interview.

Santiago said the government should prevent any contact between the lawmaker and the implementing agency that gives rise to graft.

Realigned to hospitals

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, part of the six-member minority bloc that manifested that it would vote for abolition, himself earlier admitted that he wanted his PDAF realigned to hospitals if he had his way.

For Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, abolition should be done by both chambers. He also favored realigning the PDAF to an agency and allowing a lawmaker to identify projects on the condition this would be approved by the chamber.

Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano proposed that instead of being totally scrapped, the PDAF should be channeled to the calamity fund.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said he intended to realign his PDAF to scholarships and medical assistance to indigent patients.

The minority bloc, however, includes neophyte Senators Nancy Binay and Joseph Victor Ejercito who expressed willingness to waive their PDAF.

In the majority bloc, neophyte Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV has expressed support for the scrapping of the PDAF.

“I’m for total abolition, which means it will be deleted and deducted from the total budget. This will in turn make our yearly deficit less,” Aquino, the President’s cousin, said in a text message last week.

No response

Other first-term senators—Juan Edgardo Angara, Cynthia Villar and Grace Poe—have yet to respond to the Inquirer’s questions on the disposition of their PDAF.

All the senators are given until Nov. 11 to submit their individual stands on the disposition of their PDAF to the finance committee.

If, however, a majority of the senators decide to scrap their PDAF, the rest would be asked whether to go along with them during a caucus or in plenary, Escudero said.

“We can vote on it in plenary,” he said.

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