Arroyo sons still have no ‘pork’

Only five lawmakers, notably former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s sons and brother-in-law, are still without pork barrel allocations  after House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. revealed that four members of the minority bloc would finally get the first half of their P75–million priority development assistance funds.

Belmonte told reporters that the House was already in the process of releasing the pork barrel of minority members Quezon Representative  Danilo Suarez, Bohol Representative Arthur Yap, Occidental Mindoro Representative Amelita Villarosa, and Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez after seeing most of their colleagues in the  285-member Congress get their funds months ago. The four are expected to get their special allotment release order which would pave the way for the release of their pork barrel funds to their designated projects.

This would leave Camarines Sur Representative Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo, Ang Galing Pinoy Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio Arroyo, Iloilo Representative Augusto Syjuco, and Zambales Representative Milagros Magsaysay as the only remaining House members with no pork barrel. Belmonte said the House would work on their allocations soon.

The current Pampanga representative and former president had received her share of the pork barrel allocation in the first half this year and had offered to divide among her minority bloc colleagues who have complained that the delay would affect funding of their scholarship and medical programs in their districts.

President Benigno Aquino III has declared that all lawmakers, whether allies or critics of his administration, would get their share of the pork barrel. This is a complete turnaround from the Arroyo administration which has made it a policy to withhold the pork barrel of its critics.