Palace respects SC TRO vs pork barrel

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr.

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang said Tuesday it respected the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order against the release of pork barrel this year, and pointed out that President Benigno Aquino had already suspended its release.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said some P12.27 billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund for the second semester of 2013 has not been released.

“If you recall, on August 19, in his public statement, the President suspended its release,” Abad said in a text message.

“The President’s action was official, in fact, publicly announced. The question to ask is: Will this TRO presage a doctrinal shift on the part of the SC? It’s an interesting policy issue between the judiciary and legislature. We in the Executive can only wait and watch,” he added.

On August 19, Aquino said on national television that the release of the PDAF in the second half had been suspended pending proper liquidation of the earlier tranche and completion of the investigation of the P10-billion pork barrel scam by the National Bureau of Investigation.

A week later, Aquino announced the abolition of the pork barrel in the national budget, three days ahead of a massive rally against misuse of the fund at the Rizal Park in Manila.