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Monday, March 14, 2005
3 Cebuano lawmakers hang on to their pork
By Linette C. Ramos
With Minerva B. Gerodias & Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
CEBU CITY -- Giving up their pork barrel would be like neglecting the needs of their constituents, three Cebuano lawmakers said Sunday.
Even former senator John "Sonny" Osmeña said the demand made by the group Cebu Pork Barrel Vigilantes is like "asking for the moon."
He said it will be very difficult to ask the lawmakers to give up their pork barrel because barangay captains, who depend on them for projects, would also be against it.
Interviewed separately, Representatives Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north), Clavel Martinez (Cebu Province, 4th district) and Simeon Kintanar (2nd district) said they are not at all bothered by the new group's threat.
The "vigilantes" threatened to harm congressmen and senators if they will not give up their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) by March 26, Black Saturday. They also said in a press statement that Cebu Province "will be cleaned up first."
Challenge
"That threat can only come from either a prankster or a sick or crazy person because no one in his right mind would harm us for delivering services asked for by barangay assemblies," del Mar said.
He added that he is not threatened at all since he believes he is already living his second life after he suffered a heart attack 12 years ago.
Instead of yielding to the group, whose press announcement was unsigned, the lawmakers and Osmeña challenged them to come out in the open.
"If they are really that fearless, come out because we do not know who we are talking to here," Martinez said.
Osmeña shared that sentiment. "Pa-pirmahi sa na ilang suwat," he said.
Kintanar, for his part, is taking the threat with a grain of salt. "Anybody can make that letter.Why should I be afraid?" he said.
Continue service
Del Mar told Sun.Star Cebu that as long as legislators spend their pork barrel for projects that will benefit their constituents, they have no reason to fear the new band.
He also urged his fellow lawmakers to continue to spend their pork to deliver the services and projects requested by their constituents.
Del Mar said he feels sorry for the group for believing that the PDAF of members of Congress go only to their pockets, since most of them have been transparent on how it is spent.
"If they know where the pork goes, they wouldn't feel that way, no one will think of harming us. In fact, they will even thank us and wish us a long life, so we can still serve them," he added.
Dependence
Martinez, for her part, said if the pork barrel is removed, then the people will just have to rely much on the funding from the National Government.
"Well, they are entitled to their own opinion if that's what they think. But who attends to the need of the people?Sila ba?" she said.
Kintanar said it is not the group but the people who should say if congressmen should retain the pork barrel.
"It is for the people to decide because they are the ones who benefit from the pork barrel.They are also the ones affected if it will be scrapped because it is for the services of the people," Kintanar said.
Aside from informing the media on the details of how his PDAF is spent, del Mar said he has also invited representatives from the church and media to observe biddings for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects, for the sake of transparency.
Services
He added that he is even one of the few legislators who expressed willingness to give up their entire PDAF, even if it is to the prejudice of barangay projects and health services.
But this did not push through when Congress, taking a cue from Malacañang, opted to cut the PDAF from P70 million to P40 million per congressman.
Because of the cut, del Mar's assistance for barangay projects was reduced from P1 million to P500,000 for each barangay.
The projects in the barangays alone eat up P23 million of his PDAF, while P10 million goes to the free health services for his constituents at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
The remaining P7 million is given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 for victims of fire, flood, demolitions and other calamities.
"I assume other legislators also spend their pork for their constituents, that's why there's really nothing to fear," del Mar added.
(March 14, 2005 issue)
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