Bayan first to get ‘pork’

MANILA, Philippines - The militant party-list group Bayan Muna has received the first Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) release this year.

The PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel. It allocates P200 million for each senator and P70 million for each member of the House of Representatives.

According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), it released P40 million to Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares last Jan. 7.

Colmenares is the first and only recipient of a PDAF release in 2013, although the P40 million is part of DBM’s backlog of disbursements of his P70-million allocation for 2011.

Last year, Colmenares and Bayan Muna colleague Teddy Casiño received P124.7 million, of which P108.9 million was for 2011 and P15.8 million for 2012. This means that they had a combined balance of P124.2 million as of the end of last year.

The projects funded with Colmenares’ P40 million include a P1.2-million water system in Barangay Tasilay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur; a multi-purpose building costing P1.4 million in Barangay San Isidro, South Cotabato; two roads costing P2 million each in Marabut town, Samar; a P1-million farm-to-market road in Barangay Batuan, San Enrique, Negros Occidental; and a P5-million road in Polangui, Albay.

The DBM has not released the bulk of the 2012 PDAF allocations of Bayan Muna and other party-list groups allied with it.

For instance, Gabriela Women’s Party, which has two representatives, received only P43 million for 2011 and none for 2012.

Only P23 million was released to Kabataan for 2011 and none for last year.

Anakpawis, on the other hand, received P39.8 million for 2011 and P12.5 million for 2012.

As for Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the DBM released P20 million for 2011 and the full P70 million for 2012.

In contrast, the two representatives of Bayan Muna critic Akbayan received P70 million in 2011 and P125.5 million in 2012, including the P69.5 million balance for 2011.

This means that for last year, DBM still owes Akbayan’s Kaka Bag-ao and Walden Bello P84 million.

In addition to her funds as Akbayan representative, Bag-ao received P137.4 million last year as caretaker of the lone district of Dinagat Islands, where she is running to succeed fugitive former Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr.

During the Arroyo administration, militant party-list groups were starved of their pork barrel funds.

Under the Aquino government, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is receiving her PDAF allocations, although four of her allies were “pork-less” in 2011 and 2012.

Senate spending

At the Senate, there’s barely anything left of last year’s pork allocations with some senators even exceeding their PDAF expenditures, Budeget department data showed. Minority leader Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano reportedly overshot his pork allocation of P200 million by P56,700,000 while his sister Pia spent a total of P277,006,092 million.

Following the Cayetanos in the “high spenders” circle are senators Antonio Trillanes IV who spent P253,591,680; Sen. Francis Pangilinan , P227,200,000; Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, P229,400,000; and Sen. Loren Legarda at P206,000,000.

Sen.Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who raised a howl over her colleagues’ additional P1.6-million in operational funds, used up her P200-million PDAF or pork barrel last year.

Joining Santiago in the P200-million club are Senators Gringo Honasan, Lito Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr and Senate majority leader Vicente Sotto III. Enrile used up P195-million of his PDAF for last year. Only senators Joker Arroyo and Panfilo Lacson had not touched their pork barrel allocations.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meanwhile, spent P198-million; Sen. Francis Escudero (197-million); Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada (195-million); Sen. Edgardo Angara (P 194.4-million); Sen. Manny Villar (190-million); Sen. Franklin Drilon (179-million); Sen. Ralph Recto (P176,999,958). Sen. Sergio Osmena spent P102.3-million; and Sen. Koko Pimentel, P59-million.

DBM records also showed that the Senate got more than P4 billion for 2012 while the House of Representatives received more than P20 billion. With Christina Mendez