Lacson tells fellow lawmakers: Let’s adhere to SC ruling against pork-barrel allocations

SEN. Panfilo M. Lacson Sr. on Thursday reminded fellow lawmakers about the Supreme Court ruling on misallocating so-called congressional pork-barrel insertions in crafting the national budget bill.

Reacting to reports that “some legislators” were moving to go around the SC ruling outlawing the porkbarrel scheme that lawmakers resorted to in funding pet projects in their districts, Lacson noted fresh attempts to “circumvent the budgeting process.”

“If only we legislators will adhere to and follow the budgeting process and comply strictly with the ruling of the Supreme Court on Belgica v. ES [former Executive Secretary Paquito] Ochoa, then life could be simple and easy,” Lacson said, adding: “That’s the bottom line.”

In a news statement, the senator pointed out “the problem is that some legislators are trying to circumvent the budgeting process and the SC ruling on the unconstitutionality of the pork barrel. ’Yan ang problema [That seems to be the problem].”

According to Lacson, “Their [some lawmakers’] only interpretation of the pork barrel is post-enactment. Implementation after the GA A [General Appropriations Act] shall have been signed and passed into law. Before kasi may [there was] lump sum amount na [for] PDAF [Priority Development Assistance Fund] ang [whose] description [of] so much amount, wala pang mga [there were no] items. Then after the GAA has been passed saka lang ia-identify ng [that’s the only time] legislators na may [with] pork barrel [allocations] ang mga [would identify the] projects. Sabi ng [According to the] SC bawal ’yan [that’s not allowed].”

Lacson added that was not the only practice outlawed by the High court, noting there were so-called corollary paragraphs, which stated that “corollary thereto, all informal practices na kung saan nag-i-intrude [where there is intrusion] ang mga “When we see congressmen and [by some] legislators into the proper even senators distributing checks to phase of execution, meaning that’s their chosen scholars, nagpasa na tayo the domain of the Executive branch, ng [we have passed the] Universal Access

ang [the] execution. It’s also tantamount to Quality Tertiary Education, to grave abuse of discretion meaning Free Tuition Act, tertiary and shall be accorded the same unconstitutional education,” he said, adding: “May treatment.” [there’s] P43 billion appropriated

“So what do we see now?” the for that. Yet under Tulong Dunong senator asked, adding: “Even after meron pang [there’s still] P3.8 billion. mapasa ang [after the passage of] So ang [my] proposal…during GAA at sinasabing [and they say] the budget deliberations, isama na execution is within the exclusive natin sa [let’s include in that] P43 jurisdiction of the Executive, we billion para madagdagan ang [so we see billboards all over the place na could add that in] tertiary education sinasabi [that tell us] na [that] this tuition, ang [the] subsidy. Ang tawag is the project of congressman so doon [we refer to that as the] Tertiary and so and identify the projects Education Subsidy [TES]. And on top [and the] congressmen.” of TES may [there’s] TD na nakikialam

For instance, Lacson cited the socalled ang mga legislators [where some legislators Tulong Dunong (TD) program, dip their fingers]. Isn’t that a scholarship scheme that also pays intruding into the execution phase for miscellaneous fees. of the budgeting process?” he said. If only we legislators will adhere to and follow the budgeting process and comply strictly with the ruling of the Supreme Court on Belgica v. ES [former Executive Secretary Paquito] Ochoa, then life could be simple and easy. That’s the bottom line.”—Lacson