Former Senator Noynoy, 7 Others Pork-free in 2009

MANILA, Philippines (May 7, 2011) - A Department of Budget and Management (DBM) report reveals that in 2009 President Benigno Aquino III, then a senator, and seven others saved the government P1.6 billion by not availing of their yearly pork barrel allocation amounting to P200-million each.

Other Senate members who joined P-Noy in refusing to partake of the annual “pork” in the said year were Panfilo Lacson, Joker Arroyo, Francis Escudero, Mar Roxas, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Antonio Trillanes IV, and Manuel Villar Jr.

Seven senators fully gobbled up their P200 million: Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, Edgardo Angara, Lito Lapid, Gregorio Honasan, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Other senators partially availed of their 'pork.' Juan Miguel Zubiri spent P199.9 million of his P200 million, Francis Pangilinan availed himself of half of his allocation, Alan Peter Cayetano received P198 million, his sister Pia Cayetano got P130.6 million, Richard Gordon used P182 million, Rodolfo Biazon disbursed P56.5 million, while Jamby Madrigal spent P44 million, less than a fourth of her fund.

One senator – Loren Legarda – received P205.3 million, P5.3 million more than her allocation.

Senator Lacson’s has not used his annual allocation since he was elected senator in 2001. In the P1.5-trillion 2010 budget, he and Madrigal made sure that their combined P400 million was deducted from congressional funds.

According to Lacson, a corrupt lawmaker can make at least a 20-percent commission from the use of his or her annual allocation for infrastructure and other projects.

This means that a corrupt senator can pocket P40 million a year, P240 million in six years and P480 million in 12 years.

In a recent meeting, Lacson told President Aquino that as was his practice, he is again giving up his P200 million for this year.

The same DBM report shows that congressmen received their allocations of P70 million each, including party-list representatives.

Militant party-list representatives, however, got amounts less than half of what they were entitled to. Among them were Risa Hontiveros Baraquel of Akbayan, who received P30 million; Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis, P26.4 million; Liza Maza of Gabriela, P24.9 million; Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna, P18.7 million; Teddy Casiño also of Bayan Muna, P11 million; and Luzviminda Ilagan also of Gabriela, P5.6 million.

Since 2005, when they started filing impeachment complaints against then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former president had been withholding the pork barrel funds of militant party-list representatives.

The 2009 report is the latest on the use of tens of billions in taxpayers’ money allocated to senators and congressmen. There are no reports for 2007 and 2008, while the 2006 report is incomplete, listing only three senators as fund recipients.

DBM Secretary Florencio Abad has promised to be transparent with the disposition of pork barrel funds during the term of President Aquino.

The annual congressional pork barrel dispenses P200 million for each senator and P70 million for each member of the House of Representatives.

In 2010 and in previous years, half of a senator’s P200 million was hidden in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), while half was included in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), a transparent appropriation reflected in the annual budget.

The P100 million in the PDAF appropriation was for “soft” projects like medical, livelihood and educational assistance, and subsidies to local government units (LGUs).

In the case of congressmen, the ratio was P40 million for infrastructure and P30 million for “soft” projects.

In 2009, a total of P18.5 billion in pork barrel funds was disbursed. Of that amount, P16 billion went to members of the House of Representatives, while 15 senators received P2.5 billion.

Unlike in years past, lawmakers’ funds are now fully reflected in President Aquino’s 2011 budget. The PDAF is now about P25 billion, while last year, it was only more than P10 billion.

There are no more funds hidden in the appropriations of the DPWH and other agencies.

The President had disallowed lawmakers from padding their pork barrel allocations through the notorious “congressional insertions.”