‘Pork’ in budget doubled

MANILA, Philippines—There will be more, not less, pork barrel funds for congressmen under the proposed P1.645-trillion National Budget for 2011.

From P70 million for each of the 278 congressmen, the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) has in effect been increased to as much as P145 million for next year alone, a number of lawmakers confirmed Friday.

In a closed-door, all-party caucus Friday, the House leadership decided to give each representative an additional P50 million to be taken from the lump sum funds of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as contained in its proposed budget of P90.9 billion.

All congressmen except for party-list representatives will also get as much as P25 million each as their share of the Road User’s Tax, which is collected annually from owners of private and public vehicles as a motor vehicle user’s charge (MVUC).

“I am shocked that the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) has agreed to give all district representatives an additional P50 million each from the DPWH lump sum funds, as admitted by the House leadership to the media this (Friday) afternoon,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said in an interview.

The P50 million is on top of the existing pork barrel funds, according to the third-term party-list representative.

And there’s more.

“According to plan … there is another P25 million [for district congressmen to be taken] from the Road User’s Tax,” said Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, who described the move of the ruling Liberal Party as “outrageous.”

There was no immediate comment from Malacañang.

Reached by phone, Abigail Valte, President Benigno Aquino’s deputy spokesperson, told the Inquirer: “I will have to confirm first with [Public Works] Secretary [Rogelio] Singson then I’ll get back to you.”

Edwin Lacierda, Mr. Aquino’s spokesperson, and Herminio Coloma, co-head of the Palace Communications Group, did not return calls from the Inquirer.

‘Preferred pork’

“Is this the price Malacañang is willing to pay to ensure the smooth approval of its preferred pork—the conditional cash transfer (CCT)?” Casiño said, referring to the government’s antipoverty program—first started by the Arroyo administration—which provides cash grants to extremely poor households.

He said Mr. Aquino’s vaunted “straight path” had veered on the way to Congress: “Biglang lumiko ang tuwid na daan pagdating sa Kongreso.”

The P21-billion CCT is part of the government’s P29-billion Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Lawmakers have protested this huge lump sum in Mr. Aquino’s first-ever budget, saying it should be put to better use, such as the mandatory child nutrition program in public elementary schools and barangay health centers, and the capital outlay for state colleges and universities.

Favored 40?

Sought for comment, House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II confirmed the additional P50-million infrastructure budget for congressional districts.

But he said: “Only those whose districts (about 40) received public works appropriations from the DPWH will [receive] additional DPWH projects to make sure that all districts will be recipients of [such] projects of at least P50 million [each].”

He explained that the P50 million was the floor amount for public works projects, such as roads and bridges, for each district.

Gonzales, a party mate of Mr. Aquino, denied Casiño’s insinuation that the additional infrastructure budget going to congressional districts was intended to placate administration allies unhappy with their current share of the budgetary pie.

“It has nothing to do with CCT. It was just to answer the concern of district representatives who feel that their constituents deserve to be recipients of DPWH projects. It’s not true that all will be given [additional public works funds], only about 40,” Gonzales said.

According to Gonzales, a lawmaker, whose district has an allocation from the DPWH lower than P50 million will get additional funding.

“It’s an insult to all members who attended the caucus, including the minority, to even suggest that there was a quid pro quo arrangement,” he said.

No more pork for NGOs

Emerging from the caucus, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. confirmed the new arrangement with the DPWH.

“The NEP (National Expenditure Program), if you study it, also indicates certain amounts to be spent by the DPWH in the various districts, and it was observed that some districts were really going to get a big amount of money because there are major projects there. I think there is no politics intended here,” he said.

Before reporters could ask about the supposed P50-million ceiling, Belmonte said the amount was “the minimum” to be given.

In exchange, House members agreed not to channel their PDAF to nongovernment organizations and foundations—a practice difficult to audit.

The DBM has also relaxed the rules on PDAF disbursements, allowing congressmen to tap local government units as their conduits for their pet projects, and has increased the “menu” of projects or programs that can be funded.

“We called this all-party caucus … to let everybody know the basic agreement [reached in a previous meeting with Budget Secretary Florencio Abad], and also to assure everybody that it’s still the hallmark of this leadership to treat everybody fairly,” Belmonte said.

‘Pork barrel inflation’

Bello decried what he called the “pork barrel inflation” in Congress.

He said Akbayan had been championing the reduction, if not abolition, of pork barrel funds, and wondered why the new administration was even increasing the allocations under the proposed 2011 budget.

“My view is … congressional insertions are now getting legitimized and institutionalized in these allocations,” he said.

Bello called the attention of congressional leaders to the almost P500 billion in lump sum funds in the 2011 budget.

He pointed out that the amount would be controlled by the executive branch. “But the executive wants to pacify the Congress people by increasing their control through these allocations,” he added, referring to the move of Visayas and Mindanao representatives on Wednesday to derail the passage of the national budget on grounds of unequal budgetary allocations.

“The biggest problem is the lump sum authorized funds [in the national budget],” Bello said, pointing out that congressmen had demanded greater control over these funds proposed by the executive.

Thus, the additional pork barrel is being used as a “rationale,” he said.

Bello warned that this “will be the same case as the many other projects in the past laced with corruption.”

“[It’s] making congressional offices more corrupt. We really have to make a stand on this issue. It’s very important that we in Akbayan and similar-minded party-list groups oppose this move to increase [the pork barrel],” he said.

‘Fair share’

But in a separate interview, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said the assurance that every congressional district would be given equal allotment under the DPWH budget was commendable.

Evardone cited the case of Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo whose district was given only a P1-million allocation under the proposed DPWH budget.

Under the deal struck by the House, DPWH and DBM, Quimbo can ask for P49 million more, Evardone said.

Evardone clarified that only those whose districts fell below the P50-million ceiling would be given an additional P50 million.

This prompted Casiño to quip in a separate interview: “So that means everyone will get a P50-million share at the end of the day. Everybody is happy.”

On the Road User’s Tax, Evardone said the Road Board, which is in charge of the MVUC fund, had P10 billion in collections as of June-July 2010.

“We got the assurance that we can get at least P15 million each. In principle, the secretary [of DPWH] agreed,” Evardone said.

Michael Lim Ubac, Phil. Daily Inquirer