SENATOR Miriam Defensor Santiago is at war again. She is questioning the large pork barrel expenses of other senators. There could be a motive behind, I do not know. When Inday Miriam takes a rostrum that simply means it is hunting season again. She could be a lone ranger making her last stand. No one can stop her and her badge of fury. That is the trademark of the Ilonggo senator.
This pork barrel was first known as Countryside Development Fund but later was given a sugary title as Priority Development Assistance Fund. The pork given to our law makers is a big slice from the taxes collected from our obliged tax payers. The peso gain against the dollar is the result of the remittances of our overseas workers (the prejudiced modern heroes).
Lately, we have had the stock market resurgence in spite of government. We expect pork slabs to go to priority programs: agriculture, education, electricity, water, medicine, food, employment, peace and environment. Despite of pork barrel, there is still insurgency and Moro secession is gaining grounds.
We know that pork barrel comes from the blood of tax payers who may declare tax revolt if they know that the money is not used for the poor but for the political elite that dupes the electorates with false hope.
Under PNoy, we do not want to have an activity that is like a repeat performance of the fertilizer scam.
Sen. Santiago has a smoking barrel but some bright minds will mediate. Senators are not expected to write their own obituary. Many congressmen would want to join Santiago to gain political mileage but we all know that in the long run both Houses will just invoke inter-chamber courtesy.
My friend, columnist Jarius Bondoc, calls it ‘honor among thieves.’ If senators and congressmen are Christian enough, they have to make a clean accounting of their pork.
Let us know the varied projects that they have accomplished that answer poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. We know that law makers in both chambers enjoy additional allowances as committee chairmen or committee members. If law makers are asked how they spend their pork, they would always answer, “Oh, we have not touched the money, we only identify the projects.” And, they will name the agencies (DPWH, DepEd, Agriculture, DENR, etc.) as if washing their hands. I know that in every rule there is an exception. We are also interested on how the party-list members release their fats. Sometimes the military accuse the leftist party-list members of rolling their pork barrels to the rebels. That calls for a hot argument.
Pork barrels are always good if properly used in priority projects and programs, not in overpriced or ghost undertakings. The Commission on Audit (COA) should not be strict on ordinary employees only. It should open the ledger of all congressional spending. In the book The Rule Makers, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism makes a compilation on how legislators escape audit. It has the subtitle How the Wealthy and Well-Born Dominate Congress. We ask our Negros congressman if they have a copy of this. It is good not to repeat the mistakes of others.
In the past, the Philippine Free Press divulged, “No solon on record has reported his congressional allowances in his income tax return.” To collect illegal allowance without paying taxes on them is cheating the government twice. Our law makers should join the moral revolution. They should make fund releases transparent. Who among our law makers can stand at the pedestal and talk about morality? You don’t need to guess for the answer. We know there are brave hearts in Congress. Every solon should follow the Electronic Procurement Law religiously so that the Grade VI pupil in Brgy. Patag will know the acts of our honorable legislators.
Our leaders in education, business and media are now aware of the pork barrel circumstance. We look forward that Sen. Santiago will be consistently consistent in her consistencies. We want to start politics here based on the Talmud. “When you teach your son, you teach your son’s son.”
