STATEMENT OF THE UP FAC PORK ON DAP The UP Faculty Against the Congressional and Presidential Pork Barrel System (UP Fac Pork) stands in support of all actions within the legislature and initiatives by the people to hold President Benigno Aquino III culpable and accountable for the architecture and implementation of the unconstitutional Disbursement Acceleration Program — the presidential pork. The SC ruling cites three acts under Aquino’s DAP as unconstitutional: (1) the withdrawal of unobligated allotments from the implementing agencies, and the declaration of the withdrawn unobligated allotments and unreleased appropriations as savings; (2) the cross-border transfers of the savings of the Executive to augment the appropriations of other offices outside the Executive; and (3) the funding of projects, activities and programs that were not covered by any appropriation in the General Appropriations Act. While the plea of “good faith” has been repeatedly invoked to try and sugarcoat the complicity of BS Aquino in the DAP, hard facts recall that in 2009, Aquino himself had filed Senate Bill No. 3121, “The Budget Impoundment Control Act,” which sought to control presidential prerogative over the national budget and “limit executive influence over specific appropriations in the General Appropriations Act.” This apparent awareness of the requisite limitations on presidential prerogative casts a dubious and hypocritical light on his almost immediate signing of the DAP into law in 2011, two years into his presidential term — a “stimulus package” which not only panders presidential influence on national budget spending but accelerates possibly questionable realignments of funds. That he has been vehemently defending a policy that continues the fiscal patterns of his favorite scapegoat and predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, speaks greatly of his touted campaign against corruption. Those who spin the rhetoric of retroactivity to try and dismiss demands for culpability and transparency from the Aquino Regime peddle the straw man fallacy that the SC ruling is but a prescription for future policies. These evasive tactics must be exposed and met head-on. Pleas of ignorance or good intentions do not excuse BS Aquino’s culpability in the architecture of a program that legitimized the hundred billions’ worth of presidential pork barrel. As the SC remains silent on any clarifications pertaining to its decision, an indisputable truth remains: the ruling is a testament that Noynoy Aquino did not act in accordance with the 1897 Constitution for the better part of his term. Malacañang has strived to justify the DAP by pointing to the 7.5% GDP growth rate in 2013 supposedly owing to the program, but this alleged “growth” is a fallacy that strives to screen the continuing impoverishment among the masses, the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, the perpetuation of human rights violations, the infringements upon our national sovereignty, and more. These fabricated growth rates were spun at the expense of basic social services, resulting in the rapid privatization and commercialization of education, health services, transportation, and more. Indeed, those who profit from the hyped growth rates remain to be the big capitalists and favored bureaucrats. Consequently, the issues surrounding DAP are not mere errors in policy but serious transgressions upon our fundamental democratic principles. The cover-ups have been exposed. The people must act. Let us claim and protect the democracy that is rightfully ours. Demand for culpability and accountability of the pork barrel king!
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:14:47 +0000
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