Too much pork bad for Congress

Too much pork is proving to be unhealthy not only to those who are embroiled in the P10-billion pork barrel scam but also to Congress as an institution, according to Senate President Franklin Drilon.

“We all know that Congress is facing a controversy. Due to the pork barrel scam, there is hatred in the hearts of every Filipino not only against those involved in this anomaly but against the entire Congress itself,” Drilon said on Sunday in a speech commemorating the 115th founding day of the Malolos Congress in Bulacan.

He assured the public that the government and the Senate were listening to the citizens and addressing their concerns.

Drilon said the government was committed to bringing back public trust in Congress especially “if the guilty are charged and punished.”

“I see the crises today as an opportunity for us to strengthen Congress as an institution of democracy. We hear our people’s clamor for accountability. They will not be denied. We will hold ourselves accountable,” he said.

“Since Congress was opened in Malolos, we have seen plenty of brave lawmakers—Recto, Tañada, Salonga, Ninoy, Diokno, Ople and others. We praised their skills and genius. We praised heir principles. I repeat, this will strengthen our democracy that our forefathers in the Malolos Congress wanted to leave to the future generations,” he said.

The Senate President said Congress was going through a cleansing process, made possible by the country’s democratic system.

“The ongoing investigation in the Senate and the NBI, and the expected filing of the cases with the Ombudsman (on Monday), are clear manifestations of the adherence by President Aquino’s administration to the principles of accountability and transparency which, in contrast, could not have happened in the previous administration,” he said.—Gil C. Cabacungan