House of Reps puts P25.4-billion PDAF into govt agencies

In the wake of widespread public anger over alleged anomalies in the use of Priority Development Assistance Fund, the House of Representatives on Wednesday decided to re-channel the P25.4-billion lump sum amount into executive agencies.

“The PDAF as we used to know is gone and buried. Inilibing na, wala na talaga yung discretion [ng lawmakers,]” Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Isidro Ungab said in an ambush interview following an executive session.

Under the new scheme, Ungab explained that 15 percent will go to the education sector, 15 percent to health care, 15 percent to employment agencies, 20 percent to crisis intervention programs and 35 percent to local infrastructure.

He added that lawmakers still have a chance to propose projects until the budget is passed, provided they fall into the guidelines set by the executive department.

However, the P70-million cap for congressmen and P200 million for senators may no longer apply in the new scheme. Instead, granting of funds will be largely based on how many  proposals they submit to government agencies.

“Mahirap i-determine per congressman [kung magkano na.] Kung sino yung mas mabilis mag trabaho, more resourceful [baka mas maraming makuha,]” he said.

Ungab explained that the committee ultimately decided not to scrap the PDAF in its entirety, as it might hurt the economy if it disappears from the budget.

“P25.4 billion has a big impact on the economy, which is why we didn’t completely scrap it. Let’s not be distracted with the problems, sa totoo lang one percent lang naman [talaga yung PDAF. Instead of removing it,] growth should be sustained,” he said.

Lone dissenting vote

Ungab said the vote to realign the P25.4 billion was “almost unanimous,” with ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio the only one casting a dissenting vote.

“Halos nagkaisa lahat, for national unity above parochial concerns,” Ungab said.

But for Tinio, the measure was not enough to regain the public’s trust in the House of Representatives.

“My ‘no’ vote was consistent with my position for the abolition of the pork barrel system. The proposal put forward and approved by the Committee on Appropriations does not go far enough. Unbundled PDAF is still pork. Surely, the public will rightly see this as pork barrel in another form,” Tinio said in a text message, when sought for comment.

The partylist lawmaker said the public might see the realignment of the budget into specific agencies as merely a different form of pork barrel.

“The PDAF lump sum of P25.4 billion will be unbundled and tucked into the regular budgets of a number of agencies while retaining many of the key features of pork barrel, such as the earmarking of specific amounts, exercise of individual discretion by legislators [particularly for local infrastructure projects], and the right to recommend beneficiaries,” he added. — BM/YA, GMA News