LP execs, solons in top 10 list of DAP beneficiaries
MANILA, Philippines – An opposition congressman on Tuesday bared a list of Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) beneficiaries in Congress.
United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Secretary General and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco e-mailed the list of the top DAP beneficiaries, of which the top 10 belonged to President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party.
The top two recipients are LP high ranking officials – former Cavite lawmaker now Transportation Secretary and LP Acting President Joseph Abaya, and LP Vice Chair and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.
Tiangco is not part of his list of DAP beneficiaries.
DOTC Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The list:
– Abaya – P408 million
– Belmonte – P297.487 million
– Majority leader Neptali Gonzales II – P263 million
– Former Cavite Rep. Ayong Maliksi – P217.894 million
– Former An Waray Rep. Florencio “Bem” Noel – P179,500 million
– Batanes Rep Henedina Abad – P176.619 million
– Former Laguna Rep. Edgar San Luis – P160.209 million
– Former Cebu Rep. Tomas Osmeña – P124,124 million
– Former Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III – P120.581 million
– Batangas Rep. Nelson Collantes – P110 million
Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, a Deputy Speaker, is the wife of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad, the brainchild of DAP, known as an economic stimulus package.
Meanwhile, Noel is the independent mayoral bet in Tacloban who lost to Alfred Romualdez, the nephew of Ilocos Rep. and former first lady Imelda Marcos. Noel was endorsed by President Aquino and his sister celebrity host Kris Aquino.
Though not part of the top 10, other LP officials also received DAP funds – LP Secretary General Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento (P15 million), LP Parliamentary Caucus Deputy Chair for Visayas, Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas (P14 million).
All Deputy Speakers were also given DAP funds – Abad, Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao (P10 million), Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol (P8.7 million), Lanao Del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong (P45 million), Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla (P18.87 million), and Antipolo Rep. Roberto Puno (P42.5 million).
Some beneficiaries are known LP members who have committee vice/chairpersonships – Appropriations committee chair Davao Rep. Isidro Ungab (P80.25 million), National Defense and Security committee chair Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon (P61 million), Appropriations vice Chair Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya (P55 million), Appropriations vice Chair Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua (P50 million), Justice Committee chair Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas (P49.559 million), Energy committee chair Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali (P35 million), Ways and Means chair Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo (P32 million), Housing and Urban Development chair Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez (P10 million), Appropriations Vice chair Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone (P10 million), Transportation chair Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (P10 million), Land Use committee chair Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (P10 million), and Constitutional amendments chair Davao City Rep. Mylene Albano (P2 million).
Only one member of the Makabayan bloc received the DAP funds – Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares (P10 million).
Meanwhile, the top 10 in the senators who were DAP recipients are:
-Teofisto Guingona III – P360.51 million
-Francis Pangilinan – P310.841 million
-Aquilino Pimentel III – P258.1 million
-Loren Legarda – P250 million
-Juan Ponce Enrile – P249 million
-Gringo Honasan – P238 million
-Francis Escudero – P235.5 million
-Ralph Recto – P233.17 million
-Vicente Sotto III – P214 million
-Franklin Drilon – P197.11 million
In a press conference on Tuesday, Gonzales said some congressmen did not know that the funds given to them came from DAP.
He said the stimulus package only got its name from Abad.
“Let me make it clear na yung DAP, walang nakakaalam sa amin na legislators na merong DAP (nobody knows from the legislators that there is such a thing as DAP). True, like any congressman for that matter, we initiate, propose projects sent to DBM and it’s the DBM that finds sources,” Gonzales said.
He said the lawmakers do not identify projects from the program, unlike the practice under the now defunct Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the congressional pork barrel that figured in a corruption scandal. The alleged scam resulted in the detention of three senators, their aides and alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. The supreme Court scrapped PDAF at the height of the scandal.
“We’re not asking for projects out of DAP. There’s no such thing… DAP only became a name of a program that the DBM has been doing in the past. The problem here is it was called DAP,” na dati nang ginagawa ng DBM even in the past,” Gonzales added in Filipino.
In a text message, Belmonte said he was not aware that he received DAP funds.
“Not aware of it, or how accurate it is,” Belmonte said of Tiangco’s list.
He said he sometimes shares his DAP funds to other lawmakers.
“Of course, as Speaker I sometimes share with colleagues… for projects outside my district as Speaker,” Belmonte added.
The Supreme Court declared some practices under DAP unconstitutional. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who is detained over the pork barrel scam, had also bared in a privilege speech that funds from DAP were given as incentives to senators who voted to convict ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Tiangco tried but failed to suspend the budget deliberations in the plenary due to the supposedly incomplete DAP report submitted to him by Abad.
Tiangco said his latest list is based on the DAP documents uploaded in the budget department’s website.
He said a total of P5.041 billion in DAP funds were given to representatives, while P3.785 billion to senators.
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