SC Declares PDAF Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday declared the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as unconstitutional.

The PDAF,or more commonly known as the pork barrel, is a lump-sum discretionary fund granted to individual member of Congress to be spent on priority development projects of the Philippine government, mostly on the local level.

Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te said the high court voted 14-0-1 against the PDAF, the multimillion peso discretionary fund received by lawmakers every year, Gma News Online said.

Reports said petitioners have challenged the constitutionality of the PDAF before the high court following reports of its widespread and systematic misuse by lawmakers in cahoots with private individuals.

Three incumbent senators and several former members of the House of Representatives have been named respondents in a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who is also facing charges of illegal detention filed by whistle blower Benhur Luy, allegedly masterminded the scam which involved the funneling of pork barrel funds to bogus non-government organizations.

Source: Gma News Online