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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – There were pork barrel allocations in the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018, Panfilo Lacson claimed.
According to the senator, the proposed budget contained “bilyun-bilyon (billions of pesos worth)” of pork barrel funds.
“Meron. Definitely,” he said yesterday. “Aminin nila o hindi tatanggi-tanggihan nila pero may ‘pork.’ Maliwanag iyan. May mga amounts, kitang-kita naman.”
Pork barrel was another term for the Priority Development Assistance Fund, a discretionary fund for lawmakers which the Supreme Court declared in 2013 as unconstitutional.
“Sinasabi nilang walang ‘pork’ kasi limit nila definition nila ng ‘pork,’” said Lacson.
“Ang sinasabi nila walang ‘pork’ kasi walang post-enactment. Noong araw, tig-200 kayo, bahala kayo, walang item. Ngayon, nakapaloob sa General Appropriations Act,” he added.
Congressmen themselves inserted pork barrel allocations in the budget, Lacson claimed.
“May congressman, may ilang congressmen, bilyon ang kanilang insertion, alam din namin iyan,” said the senator. “Kaya lang siyempre naka-item na iyan doon.”
In August, Budget secretary Benjamin Diokno denied there was hidden pork barrel in the national budget.
“Let’s not start talking about ‘pork,’” said Diokno. “Hindi naman siya sigurado na may ‘pork’ nga sa budget. Look at the budget. Let’s not talk about ‘pork.’”/PN
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