Opposition solon dares Drilon to ‘hairstyle challenge’

UNA Secretary General Toby Tiangco. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Navotas Representative and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary general Toby Tiangco dared Liberal Party stalwart and Senate President Franklin Drilon to a “hairstyle-challenge” over President Benigno Aquino III’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which has been declared partly unconstitutional.

In a statement on Wednesday, Tiangco said Drilon should get a mohawk haircut if the records show that Drilon actually received P1 billion from Aquino’s DAP.
If Tiangco would be proven wrong, he would be the one to make a complete hairstyle make-over, the opposition solon, known for his faux-hawk salt-and-pepper hair, said.

“As he already did the ice-bucket challenge, I again dare Sen. Drilon to do another round of our ‘hairstyle challenge’. I’m willing to do a makeover if records would show that indeed he did not receive close to a total of P1 billion DAP,” Tiangco said.

“But I challenge him to go all mohawk if the records show otherwise,” he added.

Tiangco and Abakada Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz had said that Drilon collared P1 billion in DAP allocations for his pet projects in Iloilo province. Drilon denied the accusations.

Tiangco alleged that Liberal Party members received the “juicier slices” of the DAP.

“I don’t think it’s purely speculation. Senator Drilon should not dismiss the issue, he should answer the issue on DAP directly because that is what the Department of Budget and Management records apparently show,” Tiangco said.

DAP became controversial after Senator Jinggoy Estrada, detained for plunder over the pork barrel scam, claimed that some funds from DAP were given as incentives to senators who voted to convict ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The Supreme Court struck down some practices under DAP as unconstitutional as petitioners alleged that it is the source of the president’s pork barrel funds.

The congressional pork Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) was earlier scrapped by the high court at the height of a corruption scandal.

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