Ex-Pres. Arroyo to share portion of ‘pork’ with allies

Former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is willing to share a portion of her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly known as “pork barrel," with her allies who have not yet received these funds until now. Deputy Minority Leader Milagros Magsaysay, who has not yet received her PDAF, said Mrs. Arroyo will give her and nine other members of the opposition bloc a part of her “pork" for scholarships. “She committed na tig-P1 million kami, para at least naman ‘yung scholarship namin, mabayaran na," she said at a press briefing on Wednesday. Each House member is allotted P70 million every year in PDAF, released in tranches, to enable them to fund priority projects in their districts. Members of the House minority, however, have been complaining of delays in the release of their PDAF during the past months, prompting them to boycott the budget briefings. Aside from Magsaysay, the other opposition lawmakers who have yet to receive their PDAF shares are Arroyo’s sons Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo and Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo; her brother-in-law Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo; Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Amelita Villarosa, Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas, and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez. House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, meanwhile, said Mrs. Arroyo will have to file a request for realignment before the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) before she can share some of her PDAF to her colleagues. “Of course, there is a process… That is allowed as long as the beneficiary district accepts it. Ano ba naman ‘yung P1 million na ibibigay mo kung para naman sa scholars at patients?" he said. Mrs. Arroyo is currently recovering from a series of operations she underwent for a pinched never in her spine. Defections? Lagman, meanwhile, bared that a member of the House minority decided to transfer to another party to get his share of the PDAF. The opposition leader said Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. switched to the Nationalist People’s Coalition weeks ago to be able to access his “pork." “I think the principle reason [for his transfer] is the delay in the release of the PDAF," he said. Three other House members have decided to leave the minority bloc, according to Lagman. Pangasinan Reps. Leopoldo Bataoil and Jesus Celeste transferred to the administration-aligned National Unity Party (NUP), supposedly citing “local politics" as reason. “Sabi nila, lahat ng local officials are already members of a particular party," he said. La Union Rep. Victor Francisco Ortega, meanwhile, changed parties because he was offered the chairmanship of the interparliamentary relations and diplomacy committee—a post vacated by the late Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz, who passed away last month. — KBK, GMA News