Gloria Arroyo will be given pork barrel — Belmonte

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who withheld the pork barrel of several of her critics in Congress during her term as president, will be receiving her share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said Thursday. Belmonte said it is not the policy of the Aquino administration to punish its critics by withholding the release of the pork barrel allotted to lawmakers. “We cannot take punitive action by way of withholding what rightfully belongs to the districts or the party-list represented by the congressmen, and make them accountable for it because of their opposition," he said at a press conference. Each congressman has a yearly PDAF allocation of P70 million. Belmonte said it is up to Arroyo if she will accept her pork barrel. “Pag kinuha niya (If she accepts it) definitely we will give it to her of course," he said. “Baka naman hindi na kailangan ni GMA (Or maybe she doesn’t need it)," Belmonte added in jest. The House said President Benigno Aquino III will release the PDAF contained in the 2010 budget soon. He said more or less half of the allocation had been spent during the first semester of the year by the office holders, the congressmen and senators, at that time. “The amount that is remaining for the second semester will be disbursed by the President, by the budget office, to everybody including the opposition, including the party-list congressmen so they will be treated the same," he said. – Amita Legaspi/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV