Leni pushes pork scam probe ‘to clear’ House
NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur—The widow of Jesse Robredo will push for an impartial and thorough investigation of the alleged misuse of P10 billion in pork barrel of five senators and 23 members of the House of Representatives to clear Congress of “bad reputation.”
Camarines Sur Rep. Leni G. Robredo lamented that the alleged irregularities exemplified by the exposé of six whistleblowers against businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles had tainted the House and its members.
In affidavits submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation, the six whistle-blowers, former employees of Napoles, claimed that up to 60 percent of the public funds funneled into fake NGOs and nonexistent projects represented kickbacks of lawmakers. The rest went to Napoles and her group.
“It’s unfair for us who are against corrupt practices to be dragged into the mess. All of us (representatives) must agree [to] an impartial, fair and deep investigation,” Robredo said.
Her position is in sharp contrast to that taken by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who said there was no need for a House probe because the Department of Justice was already investigating the matter.
Besides, Belmonte said, most of the 23 House members linked to the pork barrel scam had left the chamber before he became Speaker in the 15th Congress.
Transparent probe
Robredo said there was a need to make a full and transparent probe because any public doubt about it would bring more damage to the institution.
“For a very long time, Congress has suffered a reputation problem. I see something is bad in Congress,” she said.
Robredo, who captured the country’s admiration for her calm and composure amid the tragic death of her husband nearly a year ago, went on to win the seat of her province’s third congressional district in the House against a member of a well-entrenched political clan, Nelly Villafuerte, wife of the district’s former Rep. Luis Villafuerte.
Jesse Robredo, then secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and noted for his commitment to good governance and transparency in government transactions, was heading home to Naga City from an official visit to Cebu when his plane crashed in waters off Masbate City on Aug. 18, 2012.
“I believe that any irregularity in the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) will escape the scrutiny of the representatives involved (in the misuse of PDAF),” Robredo said. PDAF is the official name of the pork barrel.
She added that those representatives found involved in the scam must be penalized “for the sake of the institution.”
Robredo, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, said that even during the privilege speech delivered by the minority bloc, many of them in the majority agreed to the need for a House probe of the PDAF misuse.
The minority has filed a resolution seeking a House probe, saying that the “magnitude and the destructive effects of the PDAF scam must not be swept into oblivion, as the issue is destroying the trust that members of the Philippine Congress should enjoy from the people they represent.”
Robredo said she was initially for the abolition of the PDAF because it was promoting political patronage. She changed her mind after looking at things not just as a lawmaker but as a representative of her district. She said she had responsibilities to help in the development of her district.
Each House member is entitled to P70 million in PDAF yearly and each senator, P200 mil- lion for their pet projects.
Robredo said the PDAF could be a development tool if it had clear criteria for projects, like targets and benchmarks.
DBM circular
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in National Budget Circular No. 537 issued on Feb. 20, 2012, listed down seven particulars for the project menu and requirements: education, health, livelihood, social services, peace and order, arts and culture, and public infrastructure projects.
Members of Congress identify priority programs and projects that are to be funded by their PDAF.
“(P)reference shall be given to projects located in the fourth to sixth-class municipalities or indigents identified under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction by the Department of Social Welfare and Development without necessarily excluding other municipalities and beneficia- ries,” says its guidelines.
The agencies identified to implement PDAF projects include national government agencies, local government units (LGUs) and government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs).
Under Circular No. 537, “funds shall be released directly to the implementing agencies enumerated in the PDAF Project Menu. However, in the case of LGUs, funds shall be released to the Department of Budget and Management as the fund administrator and for GOCCs, funds shall be released to the Bureau of Treasury.”
Robredo said she would formulate benchmarks and targets in partnership with agencies and entities involved in the implementation of PDAF projects to avoid patronage politics.
“It’s not that those who are near to me will be given a project. It must be based on the performance and achievement of the benchmark we will formulate,” she said.