Senate not upset by PDAF loss, says Drilon

Senate President Franklin Drilon PRIB FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—“It’s not yet the end of the world.”

In an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Senate President Franklin Drilon said this is what he told his fellow politicians in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that declared unconstitutional the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel.

“My advice to my fellow politicians is this is not yet the end of the world. People will recognize what we are doing if we are doing it correctly, whether we have PDAF or we have no PDAF,” Drilon said.

Voting 14-0, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared PDAF unconstitutional in a landmark decision that could spell the end of political patronage. The SC added that past and present congressional pork barrel laws are also deemed unconstitutional.

The Senate president said he welcome the decision of the high court, saying that this is actually part of the “cleansing” process in the government.

“Accountability is what is needed. Transparency is what is called for. And this is what the PDAF decision is all about,” Drilon said.

He said even without pork barrel, government officials would be able to gain support if they will be able show that they are serving the people right.

In the Senate, Drilon said no one seem to look upset over SC’s recent decision.

“Wala naming nag mamaktol. Patuloy kami sa trabaho namin sa Senado,” he said.

For the full interview, listen to the attached audio clip from Radyo Inquirer 990AM.