Bayan Muna rebuts allegations that PDAF share goes to rebels

This is a reaction to the article about a certain Juan H. Aton Jr. making very serious allegations that partylists Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis “resorted to milking the project” that the latter introduced and that the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army “got the lion’s share from the militant partylists pork barrel fund in Congress.”

He even presented breakdown percentages of the pork fund or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) purportedly diverted.

Bayan Muna-Bohol categorically denies this ridiculous, absurd but grievous unsubstantiated accusation. It is impossible that a certain percentage of the PDAF goes to the groups that Mr. Aton mentioned because of the following:

1) The Department of Budget and Management employs very stringent procedures when making fund appropriations and releases under the PDAF;

2) Lawmakers cannot just simply invent projects to be funded by PDAF. They can only designate projects that are in the menu or list prepared and approved by the DBM and the House appropriations committee;

3) PDAF allocations are not in the form of cash tranches and therefore, not a single peso passes through the hands of any partylist representative of Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women’s Partylist and Anakpawis.

For the benefit of our obviously misinformed brother, Mr. Aton, we would like to make it clear that funds for PDAF projects are in the form of SARO (special allotment release order) and NCA (notice of cash allocations) that come only from the DBM and coursed through the local government units. And to educate him more, SAROs and NCAs are just papers not cold cash.

Besides, our projects can easily be verified with the different government agencies especially the DBM, properly audited and reports on these projects from the Commission on Audit are open for public scrutiny should there be a need to investigate how the partylists are exercising their PDAF privileges.

We challenge Mr. Aton to engage us in the proper courts under a fair and transparent proceeding and prove each and every allegation he made. We doubt if he can bring even one paper as evidence.

After attacking the peasant group HUMABOL a few months back, here he comes again showing his obsession in attacking and maligning progressive partylists. Bayan Muna and all the other partylists that inexplicably irked Mr. Aton have already delivered various soft and hard projects that benefitted thousands of poor Bol-anons.

With his malicious accusations, he may just get the ire of his neighbors and relatives who might have availed of our medical assistance program in Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital and the DSWDBohol. He and his handler cannot simply challenge the party’s integrity by spreading cheap propaganda that obviously shows the early kick-off of their vilification campaign aimed at discouraging people from voting for Bayan Muna in next year’s election.

We feel deep pity for Mr. Aton for displaying his ignorance on this matter and we also feel the same for the 5th Special Forces Company of the Philippine Army for not correctly briefing and advising their “guest”. This blunder only shows how desperate they are in trying to malign progressive partylists to the point of inventing cheap and absurd stories. —By Nelson Lumantas, provincial coordinator of Bayan Muna