Senate President Franklin Drilon PRIB FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – There is no turning back the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel funds into the budget even in the succeeding years now that it has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Tuesday.
“Yes, you can no longer place PDAF back into the budget,” Drilon told reporters when asked if the SC decision will be applied to the succeeding budget proposals presented annually in Congress.
Drilon has also indicated that the Senate will no longer appeal the SC ruling when he immediately issued a statement, saying that the chamber will abide by the decision.
Asked in an interview with reporters if the decision was still appealable, Drilon said: “No, you can appeal that to heaven.”
Besides, he said, the Senate’s position was to submit to the discretion of the high tribunal.
“From the very start, our position is we would submit to the discretion of the SC and in fact, we did not file any pleading. We did not favor nor oppose the petition. We just said: ‘Let the Supreme Court decide so we did not file any pleading,” Drilon pointed out.
Even Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile recognized that the SC’s decision may no longer be reversed.
“Unconstitutional na e. That’s the interpretation of the Supreme Court,” Enrile said in a separate interview .
And since PDAF has already been declared unconstitutional by the SC, Drilon said he would just push for the swift passage of a supplemental budget of P14.5 billion for 2013 using the unspent pork allocation of the lawmakers this year.
Drilon said he would recommend to the chamber to suspend the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2014 national budget once they receive the proposed supplemental fund from the House of Representatives.
“[B]ecause time is of the essence. We have to pass the supplemental budget before December 31 otherwise, the funds go back to the national treasury,” he said referring to the unreleased PDAF of the lawmakers this year.
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