Free up P25 B pork barrel funds to address worsening poverty | SWP Press Release August 12, 2013 MEDIA RELEASE August 12, 2013 Reference: Leonor Magtolis Briones Tel nos: 02.436.6054 Social Watch Philippines (SWP) called on Congress to abolish the P25 billion budget for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel, and instead divert the funds for programs aiming to address dramatic worsening of poverty in many parts of the country. “Government has been spending billions of pesos to reduce poverty but this has not happened; on the contrary, it has worsened in many parts of the country. It seems that we are using the wrong instruments for poverty alleviation. Diverting P25.420 billion of the 2014 proposed budget for pork barrel to programs for universal access to social services may be one way out of this mess,” said Marivic Raquiza, convenor of SWP. SWP has been pointing out that official poverty data from 2006 to 2012 show that out of the 17 regions in the country, only CARAGA and Region 1 are significantly better off. Regions 7, 8, 10 and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are significantly worse off; while poverty incidence in the rest of the regions remain generally unchanged. Moreover, from 2009 to2012, poverty has dramatically worsened in many areas including Apayao,Bukidnon, Cotabato City, Eastern Samar, Ifugao, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and North Cotabato. “Central government must use the budget as a tool to promote inter-regional, inter-provincial equity. Freed up funds from pork barrel can go to supporting the poorer geographical units and sectors of our country, as well as funding the progressive realization for universal quality health care and education,” Raquiza said SWP also believes that diverting PDAF could help solve the widening inequality in the country. During the 1st semester of 2006, 2009 and 2012, the bottom 20% of families have a share of about 6% of total income while the upper 20% have a share of nearly 50%. “We cannot solve the widening inequality between the rich and the poor through PDAF. The politicians’ bailiwicks, which are not necessarily the poorest towns, benefit from pork. Development gains in the country are lost due to corruption. The government has employed all kinds of tactics to stop corruption in pork barrel funds but to no avail. It is being used as a political tool,” said former national treasurer and SWP lead convenor Leonor Magtolis Briones. “Moreover, implementation of projects in the local areas are not the responsibility of Congressmen, it is an executive function,” she added “People should stop thinking of their Congressmen as DSWD, PCSO, Philippine Sports Commission, DPWH, etc. all rolled into one. They are lawmakers and as such, they should expect their lawmakers to attend sessions and make good laws. Billions of pesos lodged in the pork barrel can help solve poverty and inequality when it is instead utilized to increase budgets of municipalities and provinces where poverty has dramatically increased and are vulnerable to environmental disasters and climate change,” said Jessica Cantos, also an SWP convenor and chief-of-staff of former House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III. But Cantos said that there are certain conditions so that the flow of funds from PDAF to LGUs will work. “The citizens should understand the budget process and how to monitor fund utilization. Otherwise, we will only transfer corruption of funds in Congress to the local government units when we download pork barrel to the communities,” Cantos said.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 16:04:15 +0000