Senator Santiago Proposes ‘Pork Barrel’ Phase-out

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a resolution that proposes a scheme that will gradually scrapped “pork barrel” funds of lawmakers by 2016, Gma news online reported.

Santiago’s proposal seeks to give less and less “pork barrel” funds to lawmakers until these discretionary funds are completely scrapped.

Santiago’s proposal suggests that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for each member of Congress be slashed by half next year, and then once again by half in 2015. And by the end of President Benigno Aquino III’s term of office in 2016, Santiago said, the PDAF should be completely “phased out.”

“This will phase out the pork barrel, so that the gradual abolition will be acceptable to Congress members,” Santiago said in a statement Wednesday.

Senators Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes III and Grace Poe, have agreed to the Senator’s proposal saying they wouldn’t mind abolishing the pork barrel.

The pork barrel controversy came to public attention recently after accusations surfaced that billions of it went to ghost projects. Currently, each member of the House of Representatives gets P70 million in PDAF while each senator gets P200 million to enable them to name priority projects for government funding, the online news said.

Santiago said “Senators and congressmen are expected to pass laws and exercise oversight functions over the Executive Department’s implementation of existing laws. We are not expected to build roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects,”

Senator Santiago has described her proposal as “the second best solution” to resolving issues concerning the PDAF, saying it “will give senators and congressmen time to adjust to the new rules.” Gma news online reported.

Senate President Franklin Drilon agrees to Santiago’s proposal saying that it (proposal) appears to be feasible and added that its better to give PDAF directly to line agencies. “I support that because from the very start, I said na ako’y sang-ayon na alisin ang PDAF. The proposal of Miriam appears to be feasible,” Drilon told reporters.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano also expressed support saying he is in favor of the gradual scrapping of the “pork barrel”.  “Hindi natin pwedeng i-sweep under the rag itong issue ng pork. Napakahalaga na mayroon kaming mga senador at congressman ng moral ascendancy. Whether to abolish it or whether it’s a line item, I support that,” Cayetano said in a separate interview.

In the same resolution, Santiago proposed that NGOs, local government units and government-owned and -controlled corporations be disallowed from getting “pork barrel” allocations. It also suggested that the PDAF be “strictly” used for infrastructure projects, and that “pork” releases be limited to national government agencies, the news online said.

Santiago also wants to stop the practice of some lawmakers allocating PDAF to scholarships, saying these should be given by state colleges and universities.

If Santiago’s proposal is approved, each senator will get P100 million next year and P50 million in 2015. Each House member, meanwhile, will have P35 million by next year and P15 million in 2015, Gma news online said.

Source: gma news tv, gma news online