“ARROYO’S P2.4 billion, Andaya’s P1.9 billion, one congressman’s P8 billion, a hundred others’ P2.4 billion each, the remaining 194 congressmen’s P60 billion, and the senators’ P8 billion... are illegal.”
The quotation is taken from Mr. Jarius Bondoc’s column Gotcha in Philippine Star of Dec. 10, 2018 titled: “Are our lawmakers so untrustworthy?”
In my calculation, these data sum up to P312.3 billion, but there is a discrepancy that may be explained by the words “at least” in the following quotation: “Adding up all that, there’s at least P272 billion in pork in the 2019 national budget.”
Mr. Bondoc relies on information by House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya, who holds that he did not ask for his P1.9 billion and calls it “misplaced generosity.” He supposes that Public Works directors and congressional district engineers had asked for his pork insertions.
The P3.757 trillion of the 2019 national budget divided by P272 billion makes 14. That means that lawmakers implement the 14th part of the national budget themselves while the rightful executive branch is left with P3.485 trillion.
“Had not Sen. Panfilo Lacson been alert ... the anomaly would have stayed hidden.” (Bondoc)
Senator Lacson, since he was first elected senator in 2001, never accepted his Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF. (It was used for debt servicing.) He also and only he refused pork in its new disguise as pre-enacted allocation.
In his priority speech of March 11, 2003, Senator Lacson called for the total abolition of the pork barrel system. But pork lives on and is fatter than ever.
On Nov. 19, 2013, the Supreme Court declared PDAF unconstitutional for it infracts on the democratic principle of the separation of powers, holding: “No person can at the same time make laws and execute them himself. Law implementation is the exclusive task of the executive power.”
The temptation is given that lawmakers will draw kickbacks in the implementing process. That corruption money will be lacking for the realization of national needs as are education, health, infrastructure, justice, services and sovereignty to name a few.
When Senator Lacson was asked if he would file a suit questioning the constitutionality of the 2018 budget (which was much smaller than the present one), he answered in a subterfuge: “I cannot do that because we senators always act as a collegial body. ... I hope the President would veto it. I see this (vetoing) as a test to the political will of the President, who usually stresses that corruption must stop.”
And he added: “Any taxpayer can question the pork.”