Solon grills Budget chief Abad over unreleased 'pork barrel'

A member of the House minority on Monday grilled Budget chief Florencio Abad over unreleased portions of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more commonly known as the “pork barrel." Davao del Sur Rep. Mark Douglas Cagas confronted Abad during a budget hearing and complained about delays in the release of the first tranch of his PDAF, despite submitting his requirements a year ago. “This representation has suffered so much already because the PDAF has not been released, and yet we pay so much taxes compared to other provinces," he said on Monday. Abad replied that there might have been “issues" with Cagas’ request for PDAF, since disbursements for the funds follow a strict “menu." Cagas however said he only allotted his “pork" to projects that can be easily qualified, including assistance to hospitals, schools, and barangays. “Gaano ho ba kahirap iqualify ‘yung assistance sa may sakit? ‘Yung pambigay sa Davao Medical Center? Sa mga ospital? Mahirap po ba iyon?" he said. In the middle of Cagas’ questioning, Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol—who used to be aligned with the opposition before transferring to the ruling Liberal Party—blurted out, “Lumipat ka, mag-Liberal ka." Cagas however said that he will not switch loyalties just to access government funds. “Hindi ho ako balimbing. Hindi ako sasama sa Liberal dahil lang may opportunity," he said. Abad then assured Cagas that he will receive his PDAF, since President Benigno Aquino III promised full release of the “pork barrel" without consideration of party loyalties. “I’d like to make this clear. The President said this during the campaign and he still maintains it. No district will get zero from PDAF," he said. Members of the House of Representatives are entitled to P70 million in PDAF annually to enable them to categorically name priority projects for government funding. The House appropriations committee started deliberations on the proposed 2012 budget of P1.8-trillion on Monday, which the Department of Budget and Management said was allocated based on the Aquino administration’s anti-poverty and anti-corruption efforts. - VVP, GMA News