Presidential bets warn vs use of calamity funds for polls

Following the declaration of a state of calamity over Mindanao due to the power shortage there, two presidential aspirants on Friday warned against the possible use of disaster funds for election purposes. Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who is currently campaigning in provinces in the south, said that while it was President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo's prerogative to place Mindanao under a state of calamity, the public should monitor how the funds will be used to ease the impact of the power shortage. "This government has shown its propensity to divert funds for political purposes. The people must make sure that the unscrupulous do not succeed this time," Aquino said in a statement. On Thursday, Mindanao Development Authority chairman Jesus Dureza said President Arroyo has approved the recommendation of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to declare a state of calamity so that local government units can use their calamity funds to remedy or alleviate the power crisis. [See: Arroyo approves state of calamity in Mindanao] Declaring a state of calamity in Mindanao will allow local government units in the entire island to use up to 5 percent of their internal revenue allotments (IRA), which are their share of revenues from the national government. Bare specific plans for funds Senator Richard Gordon, another presidential aspirant, also said the government should have laid down its specific plans on how the funds would be spent to address the power shortage, since declaring a state of calamity and releasing funds could simply mean that politicians will have easier access to more funds which they can use for politics. "Ano gagawin nila, babayaran nila mga farmer? Babayaran nila ang mga negosyong nalugi? Hindi ko alam gagawin nila sa pera so I'm asking, what does a state of calamity mean when people have brownouts (What will they do, pay the farmers? Pay the businesses that suffered losses? I don't know what they'll do with the money, so I'm asking what does a state of calamity mean when people have brownouts)," Gordon told reporters in Santiago City in Isabela province where he is currently campaigning. Mindanao, which has a 700-megawatt power supply shortfall, is suffering from three to 11-hour blackouts everyday. The brownouts are expected to last until the El Niño phenomenon, which causes low water elevation in hydroelectric plants in Mindanao and other parts of the country, ends in June. Since Mindanao is not connected to the power grid in Luzon and the Visayas, power plants in the two islands are unable to dispatch excess electricity to Mindanao. Gibo supports declaration Administration party presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr., for his part, said he thinks it was just right for Mrs. Arroyo to declare a state of calamity throughout Mindanao, since residents in the area have been suffering from rotating brownouts. “Palagay ko naman (tama lang), kasi naman nakakaramdam na sila ng rotating brownouts (I think it was just right since residents there have been experiencing rotating brownouts)," he told reporters on Friday after speaking in the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) National Convention in Makati City. Teodoro, who was former head of the NDCC, said the spending of disaster funds would largely depend on recommendations made by government agencies. “Sa akin, depende sa recommendations iyan. May proseso iyan eh… So it will all depend on these recommendations… Hindi ko naman alam ‘yung nilalaman noong recommendations (For me, it all depends on the recommendations. This goes through a process, so it will all depend on these recommendations. I really don’t know what these recommendations contain)," he said. -Johanna Camille Sisante, Aie Balagtas See and Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMANews.TV