2013 ‘pork’ of JPE, 7 others untouched

MANILA, Philippines - Resigned Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile and seven other senators have not touched their individual P200-million pork barrel allocation for this year.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website shows that the amounts released to them for the first half of this year represent balances from their 2012 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel. It has a funding in the national budget of P25 billion. It allocates P200 million a year for each senator and P70 million for each member of the House of Representatives.

Representing the partial or full balance of their 2012 PDAF, the DBM has released P5 million to Enrile, P7.3 million to Alan Peter Cayetano, P13.137 million to Pia Cayetano, P41 million to Franklin Drilon, P83 million to Sergio Osmeña III, P167.3 million to Aquilino Pimentel III, and P23 million to Ralph Recto.

Their P200-million pork barrel fund this year is still intact, along with that of Ramon Revilla Jr.

Theoretically, senators and congressmen can avail of half of their PDAF until June 30, when the term of the current 15th Congress expires.

Senators Edgardo Angara and Francis Pangilinan, who are ending their 12 years in the Senate on June 30, have used up P90 million and P98 million, respectively, of their P100-million half-year allocation, while another graduating senator, Manuel Villar Jr., has spent only half.

Two other graduating senators, Joker Arroyo and Panfilo Lacson, have not been touching their annual allocations since 12 years ago, saving taxpayers nearly P5 billion.

Two senators – outgoing Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Lito Lapid – have exhausted their full P100-million half-year allotments.

Five have almost used up their allocations. They are acting Senate President Jinggoy Estrada, who has spent P95.5 million; Francis Escudero, P91.3 million; Gregorio Honasan, P93 million; Loren Legarda, P90.5 million; and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, P95 million.       

Antonio Trillanes IV, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Teofisto Guingona III have availed themselves of P67.920 million, P50 million and P34.480 million, respectively.

Alan Peter Cayetano, Honasan, Escudero, Legarda, Pimentel, and Trillanes have won reelection.

As of this week, the DBM has released a total of P10.977 billion in pork barrel funds to senators and congressmen.