Duna pa bay ‘pork barrel’?

Una sa tanan, atong kutloon kining September 2 nga issue sa The Philippine Star nga nagkanayon: “Makabayan lawmakers have condemned the Marcos administration for its handling of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, saying it still reeks of pork barrel funds allotted to local government units.”

Mao nga nakapanguta kita kon aduna pa ba diay pork barrel. Di ba gi-declare na man kini nga unconstitutional?

Matud dinhi, gisaway ni Rep. Antonio Tinio ang iyang gitawag nga ‘brazen distribution’ of the special allotment release orders (SAROs) to local officials, flagging a P37.49-billion hike in alleged pork barrel funds under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).”

Sa atong pakisusi, ang Google nagkanayon: “Yes, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared the pork barrel system unconstitutional on November 19, 2013. So dugay na diay kining gi-declare nga supak sa atong Batang Balaud.

Ania how the Supreme Court ruled: “The High Court voted 14-0 to strike down the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and its predecessor, the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF).

Sa akong sabut, kining PDAF ug CDF mao kini ang bag-o nilang gibunyag nga nganlan sa pork barrel.

Nidugang ang Korte Suprema nga “allowing lawmakers to identify and intervene in projects during the post-enactment stage of the budget violated constitutional duties.” Mao ba?

On the other hand, however, angLeague of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) ni assure sa katawhan nga in place na ang mga “strict safeguards to keep the proposed P58.32-billion LGSF for 2027 free from political favoritism, ensuring that LGUs get their fair share.”

Sa iyang bahin, siExecutive Secretary Ralph Recto nihatag og katin-awan nga ang proposed budget alang sa Office of the President, is 64 percent lower than its 2026 budget, citing lower operational requirements of its delivery units and the completion of activities related to the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.”

By the way, kanus-a man gyud nagsugod kining pork barrel system sa atong nasud? Tubag sa google: “The pork barrel system in the Philippines started in 1922 (dugaya na uy!), during the American colonial period.

The concept was introduced by the U.S. colonial administration as a way to secure political loyalty and cooperation from Filipino politicians.”

So ang mga Americano diay ang nagsugod niini nga practice. Panahon sa Commonwealth Era, ubos sa American regime, ang pork barrel system, gi-retained, gipadayon, ubos sa atong 1935 Constitution, allowing lawmakers “to earmark public funds for local projects in their home districts.”

Origin. “The phrase ‘pork barrel; originally described a literal wooden barrel used to preserve and store salted pork before the invention of refrigeration.”

Sa ato pa, literally, sudlanan o barrel nga kahoy, pag-preserve sa inasinan nga karneng baboy.

Kini, niadto pang mga 18thto 19thcenturies. Karon, gihimo na kini nato nga sudlanan sa kwarta.

“By the late 1800s, the term took on a negative meaning. It came to describe how lawmakers maneuvered to secure appropriations or ‘earmarks’ to secure local support and guarantee their reelection, a practice found in many representative democracies around the world.”