People’s initiative vs pork pushed

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate: Forever ban the pork barrel system. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Bayan Muna is pursuing a people’s initiative to forever ban the pork barrel in all its mutations—from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the group had decided to take this route proposed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno because the government and its congressional allies had taken steps to go around the Supreme Court’s ruling last November that declared the PDAF unconstitutional.

Under a “people’s initiative,” proponents of a constitutional amendment need to gather the signatures of at least three percent of the qualified voters in each congressional district and at least 10 percent of the total voters nationwide.

“The purpose of the people’s initiative is to forever ban the pork barrel system because it’s the main source of corruption and political patronage,” said Zarate.

Special purpose fund

“The SC decision pertains to the PDAF only as part of the President’s Special Purpose Fund. But if you examine the budget, it is still full of lump sums, especially under the Office of the President,” said Zarate in a text message.

In December, various antipork groups and personalities held the first national assembly for the abolition of the pork barrel system through a people’s initiative led by the broad alliance, #Abolishpork Movement.

Based on initial discussions, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the proposed law would seek the removal of lump-sum discretionary spending and off-budget items and the return of all unobligated and unreleased funds to the General Fund to avoid a repeat of the DAP.

Both Colmenares and Zarate pointed out that the Supreme Court has yet to decide on the legality of the DAP, which was concocted by the Aquino  administration as a means to transfer funds to other agencies and pet projects of lawmakers.