Senate bows to SC decision on PDAF

Senate President Franklin Drilon PRIB FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – There is no  turning back the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork  barrel funds into the budget  even in the succeeding years now that it has been declared  unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, Senate  President Franklin Drilon said on Tuesday.

“Yes, you can no longer place PDAF back  into the budget,” Drilon told reporters when asked if the  SC decision  will  be applied to the succeeding budget proposals presented  annually in Congress.

Drilon has  also  indicated that the Senate will no longer appeal the SC ruling when he immediately  issued  a statement, saying that   the chamber will abide by the  decision.

Asked in an interview with reporters  if the decision was still appealable,  Drilon said: “No,  you can appeal that to heaven.”

Besides, he said, the Senate’s position was to submit to the discretion  of the high tribunal.

“From the very start, our position is we would submit to the discretion of the SC and in fact, we did not file any pleading. We did not favor nor oppose the petition. We just said: ‘Let the Supreme Court decide so we did not file any pleading,”  Drilon pointed out.

Even  Senate Minority Leader  Juan Ponce-Enrile recognized that the  SC’s decision may  no longer be reversed.

“Unconstitutional na e. That’s the interpretation of the Supreme Court,”  Enrile said  in  a separate interview .

And since PDAF  has already been declared unconstitutional by the SC,  Drilon said he would just push for the swift passage of a supplemental budget  of P14.5 billion for 2013 using the  unspent  pork allocation of  the lawmakers this year.

Drilon said he would recommend to the chamber to  suspend the plenary deliberations on the  proposed 2014 national budget once they receive  the proposed  supplemental fund from the House of Representatives.

“[B]ecause  time is of the essence. We have to pass the supplemental budget before December 31 otherwise,  the funds go back to the national treasury,” he said referring to the  unreleased PDAF of the lawmakers this year.

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