Lawmaker says agencies need guidelines on ‘pork’ release

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The government agencies that got the pork barrel funds after these were removed from Congress’ 2014 budget should come out with guidelines on how the public could avail themselves of assistance using the money, so that the social services people used to enjoy when the pork barrel was still in place could continue, according to Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga.

Barzaga in particular called on the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to draw up the mechanisms to ensure that lawmakers’ constituents would be able to get medical and burial assistance, scholarships and skills training.

Their constituents used to be able to enjoy these when lawmakers still had the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Each member of the House was allotted P70 million in PDAF.

The P25-billion PDAF was removed from the 2014 budget after allegations that billions of pesos in government funds were pocketed by officials and their cohorts, via a scheme using bogus nongovernment organizations.

The Supreme Court subsequently declared the pork barrel system unconstitutional.

Aside from the DOH (P3.69 billion), DOLE (P3.69 billion), DSWD (P4.71 billion), and CHEd (P2.66 billion), the Department of Education (P1.02 billion) and Department of Public Works and Highways (P9.65 billion) also got a portion of the PDAF that was excised from the budget.

The 2014 budget contains the various infrastructure projects that the lawmakers identified, and these consist of local roads and bridges, school buildings, multipurpose buildings and water supply systems.

Each member of the House identified five infrastructure projects with a budget ceiling of P24.5 million. Each project should amount to no less than P2 million.

“Until now, there are no clear rules and regulations and our constituents are inquiring about it. Part of the SC ruling is for the Executive to find solutions to ensure that the services offered by the lawmakers’ PDAF will continue,” Barzaga said in a statement.

He hoped the agencies would not take long in coming up with the guidelines, since many of the lawmakers’ constituents have urgent medical needs.

He also said there were about 248,000 scholars from 73 legislative districts that were adversely affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling, which also halted the release of lawmakers’ P14.27 billion pork in the second half of 2013.

Barzaga said lawmakers themselves were at a loss on what to tell those seeking help from them, since there were no guidelines on how they could avail themselves of services.

The appropriations committee chair, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, said earlier that pork barrel scholars still had a chance of receiving funding for their education under the 2014 budget because it had a provision stating that the CHEd should ensure that scholars whose funding came from other sources would continue to receive assistance.