20 political clans control billions of pesos in pork barrel, gov't funds

A senator is entitled to P200 million in pork barrel, a congressman P70 million. Provincial governors and city and municipal mayors have access to the Internal Revenue Allotment, the local governments’ share from national taxes collected.

Many political families whose members hold national and local posts thus can lay their hands on billions of pesos in taxpayers’ money.

Twenty political families with many incumbent government officials elected last May have in their influence a total of close to P20 billion for this year.

Table 1
Political Family	Aggregate Public Funds (2007)
Marañon	1,526,581,759
Plaza	1,326,920,290
Garcia	1,306,275,367
Garin-Cari-Petilla	1,200,519,783
Espino	1,223,772,084
Zubiri	1,105,134,555
Maliksi	1,061,465,915
Marcos-Romualdez	1,039,897,452
Reyes	1,005,609,583
Umali	975,493,111
Tupas	951,831,156
Ynares	896,385,752
Villafuerte	881,888,594
Antonio	837,398,052
Durano	808,082,782
Villar	746,849,209
Ortega	702,016,025
Yap	679,293,550
Salceda	672,986,098
Angara	600,308,083
Total	19,548,709,200

At least nine families have access and influence over more than P1 billion each in government funds for 2007 alone – the Marañons of Negros Occidental (P1.5 billion), the Plazas of Agusan del Sur (P1.3 billion), the Garcias of Cebu (1.3 billion), the Garin-Cari-Petilla clan of Iloilo and Leyte (P1.2 billion), the Espinos of Pangasinan (P1.2 billion), the Zubiris of Bukidnon (P1.1 billion), the Maliksis of Cavite, the Marcos-Romualdez clan of Ilocos Norte, Leyte and Navotas and the Reyeses of Palawan (more than P1 billion each).

Table 2.
PLAZA
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Rep. Rodolfo Rodrigo Plaza (Agusan del Sur, Lone District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Maria Valentina Plaza Cornelio (Agusan del Sur)	IRA	652,178,534
Mayor Democrito Plaza II (Butuan City, Agusan del Norte)	IRA	562,731,289
Mayor Glenn Plaza (Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur)	IRA	42,010,467
	Total	1,326,920,290
GARIN-CARI-PETILLA
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Rep. Janette Garin (Iloilo, First District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Rep. Carmen Cari (Leyte, Fifth District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Carlos Jerico Petilla (Leyte)	IRA	882,989,945
Mayor Michael Cari (Baybay, Leyte)	IRA	94,059,442
Mayor Christine Garin (Guimbal, Iloilo)	IRA	31,007,786
Mayor Nimfa Garin (San Joaquin, Iloilo)	IRA	52,462,610
	Total	1,200,519,783
MARCOS-ROMUALDEZ
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Ilocos Norte, Second District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (Leyte, First District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Michael Keon (Ilocos Norte)	IRA	439,806,849
Mayor Alfred Romualdez (Tacloban City)	IRA	299,571,803
Mayor Tobias Tiangco (Navotas)	IRA	160,518,800
	Total	1,039,897,452
ZUBIRI
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri	PDAF/DPWH Fund	200,000,000
Rep. Jose Ma. Zubiri III (Bukidnon, 3rd District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Jose Ma. Zubiri Jr. (Bukidnon)	IRA	835,134,555
	Total	1,105,134,555
GARCIA
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Rep. Pablo Garcia (2nd District, Cebu)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Rep. Pablo John Garcia (3rd District, Cebu)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu)	IRA	1,166,275,367
	Total	1,306,275,367
MARAÑON
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Negros Occidental, 2nd District)	PDAF/DPWH Fund	70,000,000
Gov. Joseph Marañon (Negros Occidental)	IRA	1,161,305,424
Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr. (Sagay City, Negros Occidental)	IRA	295,276,335
	Total	1,526,581,759
ESPINO
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Gov. Amado Espino Jr. (Pangasinan)	IRA	1,193,685,084
Mayor Amado Espino III (Bautista, Pangasinan)	IRA	30,087,000
	Total	1,223,772,084
MALIKSI
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Gov. Erineo Maliksi (Cavite)	IRA	922,035,593
Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi (Imus, Cavite)	IRA	139,430,322
	Total	1,061,465,915
REYES
Clan Member	Public Funds	Amount
Gov. Mario Joel T. Reyes (Palawan)	IRA	940,373,213
Mayor Mario T. Reyes, Jr. (Coron, Palawan)	IRA	65,236,370
	Total	1,005,609,583

Nine political families have members in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Because of this, they have in their discretion P2.7 billion in pork barrel for this year alone. The term of office of senators is six years; they shall not serve for more than 2 consecutive terms. Congressmen are elected every three years, each should not serve more than three terms.

Table 3.
Clan/Members	Pork Allotment
ANGARA
Sen. Edgardo Angara	200,000,000
Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (Lone District, Aurora)	70,000,000
AQUINO
Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III	200,000,000
Rep. Jeci A. Lapus (3rd District, Tarlac)	70,000,000
BIAZON
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon	200,000,000
Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy" Biazon (Lone District, Muntinlupa City)	70,000,000
CAYETANO
Sen. Pia Juliana Cayetano	200,000,000
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano	200,000,000
Rep. Ma. Laarni Cayetano (First Councilor District, Taguig City-Pateros)	70,000,000
DEFENSOR
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago	200,000,000
Rep. Matias Defensor (3rd District, Quezon City)	70,000,000
Rep. Arthur Defensor (3rd District, Iloilo)	70,000,000
ENRILE
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile	200,000,000
Rep. Salvacion S. Ponce Enrile (1st District, Cagayan)	70,000,000
ESCUDERO
Sen. Francis Joseph Escudero	200,000,000
Rep. Salvador Escudero III (1st District, Sorsogon)	70,000,000
VILLAR
Sen. Manuel “Manny" Villar	200,000,000
Rep. Cynthia Villar (Lone District, Las Piñas City)	70,000,000
ZUBIRI
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri	200,000,000
Rep. Jose Ma. Zubiri III (3rd District, Bukidnon)	70,000,000
TOTAL	2,700,000,000

The legislators assign their pork barrel to their favorite projects. Some senators and congressmen, however, do not use up the entire amount they are entitled to.

Many clan-member senators, who have national constituency, gave their pork to their hometown that is also governed by a relative.

ANGARA
Clan Member	PDAF (2004)	DPWH (2004)	PDAF (2005)
Sen. Edgardo Angara	22,780,000 (out of 80,000,000)	46,340,000 (out of 120,000,000)	6,870,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF + DPWH			260,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Aurora)			75,990,000

BIAZON
Clan Member	PDAF (2003)	DPWH (2003)	DPWH (2005)
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon	500,000 (out of 79,550,000)	54,700,000 (out of 120,450,000)	40,000,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF + DPWH			260,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Muntinlupa City)			95,200,000

CAYETANO
Clan Member	PDAF (2004)	PDAF (2005)
Sen. Pia Juliana Cayetano	2,400,000 (out of 40,000,000)	1,200,000 (out of 30,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF		70,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Taguig-Pateros)		3,600,000

DEFENSOR
Clan Member	Dpwh (2004)
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago	15,700,000 (Out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL DPWH	60,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Iloilo)	15,700,000

EJERCITO-ESTRADA
Clan Member	PDAF (2004)	PDAF (2005 )
Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito - Estrada	1,500,000 (out of 40,000,000)	2,100,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF			100,000,000
TOTAL ALLOTMENT (San Juan)			3,600,000
Sen. Loi Ejercito - Estrada	PDAF (2003)	PDAF (2005)
	5,000,000 (out of 53,500,000)	1,000,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF			113,500,000
TOTAL ALLOTMENT (San Juan)			6,000,000

ENRILE
Clan Member	PDAF (2005)
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile	4,000,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF	60,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Cagayan)	4,000,000

REVILLA
Clan Member	DPWH (2004)	PDAF (2005)	DPWH (2005)
Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr.	20,000,000 (out of 60,000,000)	5,000,000 (out of 45,000,000)	16,000,000 (out of 75,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF + DPWH			180,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Cavite)			41,000,000

VILLAR
Clan Member	DPWH (2003)	PDAF (2004)	DPWH (2004)
Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar	37,000,000 (out of 120,000,000)	41,000,000 (out of 82,000,000)	35,500,000 (out of 60,000,000)
TOTAL PDAF + DPWH			262,000,000
TOTAL allotment (Las Piñas)			113,500,000

Sen. Manuel Villar used more than 43 percent of his DPWH funds and PDAF in 2003 and 2004 to aid projects in Las Piñas City. His wife Cynthia is the lone district representative of the city; brother-in-law Vergel is the mayor and several other relatives were councilors.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon alloted all his DPWH Fund-financed projects—worth almost P60 million--in Metro Manila to Muntinlupa City, where son Rozzano Rufino was congressman.

Most local government units, on the other hand, are entirely dependent on the IRA to finance their operations and services. An audit ensures whether these funds go to the salaries of government employees and maintenance expenses.

But Prof. Leonor Briones of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance noted that powerful clans can still call the shots when it comes to expenditures such as those on health and education.

“The hanky-panky depends on how powerful they are… Total control by a dynasty is more possible in very remote areas like the Dinagat Islands or Masbate or Maguindanao," says Briones, former national treasurer.

When all, or most, of the top posts in a province is held by a single family, check-and-balance in governance may be close to nil. Briones notes that political families who control the city or municipal council, or the provincial board can easily pass laws in their favor, be it the construction of a road leading to the clan’s hacienda or funds to a school in honor of a clan member or a foundation managed by the family.

In contrast, areas where there is an active civil society or a very strong opposition, the LGU would be forced to shape up.

“So it depends on the level of transparency of the LGU. If you have an opposition council, makikita ang anomalya. The more strong the civil society, the stronger the institution," Briones said.

But certain political families managed to keep up with the changing times. “There are so-called dynasties where younger ones are professionals, highly educated. They are not blatant. Mas subtle, hindi garapalan," Briones says.

Then there are political families who are widely accepted by their constituents such as the Angaras of Aurora. “People there (Aurora) can say malaki ang improvement, so it can also be positive," Briones says. --with reports from Allan Vallarta and Mary Ann Señir