THE youth group Anakbayan will join other youth and student organizations today at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila to kick off a weekly series of protests against the Office of the President’s discretionary funds which they have dubbed ‘presidential pork’.
In response to successive revelations of a P10 billion pork barrel scam and other cases of corruption involving public funds, the youth group demanded the removal of all ‘discretionary funds’ from the national budget starting next year. They emphasized the proposed P139 billion in unprogrammed funds which fall under the Office of the President.
“The Napoles scandal has only added to the long list of cases of politicians pocketing the PDAF and other lump-sum funds through kickbacks or rechanneling to bogus recipients. But more than that, ‘pork’ is being used to buy political support by allocating it to projects for allies, and witholding it from others” said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan.
He cited the admission of Budget Secretary Butch Abad, as exposed by former congresswoman Mitos Magsaysay, in which the former said that allies of former president Gloria Arroyo would not receive their PDAF. At the height of the impeachment trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona, Sen. Miriam Santiago also accused Aquino of using the pork barrel to force senators into voting for the impeachment.
“Emphasis should be put, not on the PDAF of both Houses of Congress, but on the president’s own lump-sum funds. These are bigger, and experience shows that Aquino’s hands are just as dirty when it comes to misusing public monies” said the youth leader.
According to Crisostomo, ‘Porkless Friday’ will be held weekly until the Aquino administration abolishes ‘presidential pork’.
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