Binay retains P86-M pork – Evardone

Vice President Jejomar Binay retains his P86million annual pork barrel fund, allowing him to use taxpayers’ money to promote his presidential ambition, a lawmaker said yesterday.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said the pork barrel fund is part of the Vice President’s 2015 budget amounting to P222.6 million.

“The P86 million is a lump sum labeled as ‘financial assistance/subsidy.’ It can be used by the Vice President to assist anyone he chooses to help. This means that he can use the money to promote his quest for the presidency,” said Evardone, vice chairman of the House appropriations committee, which scrutinizes the annual budget.

Unlike members of Congress, Evardone said Binay has retained his pork barrel fund.

“It gives him a distinct advantage over other presidential aspirants,” he said.

Aside from the P86-million fund for financial assistance, he said Binay also has funds amounting to P23.9 million for travel and P15 million for representation expenses.

The lawmaker added that in 2014, the Vice President had a budget of P85 million for financial assistance and subsidies, P23.9 million for travel and P14.9 million for representation expenses.

Evardone pointed out that in 2013, Binay had a total of P285 million in pork barrel funds.

“Of that amount, P185 million was for ‘subsidies and donations,’ while P100 million was for ‘public infrastructures,’” he said.

When the Supreme Court abolished the Priority Development Assistance Fund in the latter part of 2013, Evardone said Congress scrapped Binay’s P200-million PDAF, reducing his pork barrel funds to P85 million to 86 million.

“He is the only Vice President who was allocated a P200-million PDAF, aside from being the only VP given a palace – the Coconut Palace – as official residence-office,” he stressed, noting that former Vice President Noli de Castro did not enjoy those privileges.

Likewise, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad chided Binay for criticizing the PDAF and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

“It is hypocritical for VP Binay to be ranting against the PDAF and DAP when he himself benefited from these two funds,” the budget chief said.

He said Binay requested in 2011 and 2012 that his office be allocated P200 million a year in PDAF “for his pet projects.”

“Two housing agencies, of which he was chairman of the governing boards, NHA (National Housing Authority) and HGC (Home Guarantee Corp.), received P11.45 billion in DAP funds in October 2011,” Abad said.