Seems like even the honourable and learned senators of this fine land cannot grasp simple principles that underpin a growing public sentiment against discretionary public spending in the Philippines by the legislature — specifically that which comes in the form of “pork barrel” funds. Senate President Franklin Drilon, for one, cannot seem to understand that executives execute, and legislators legislate.
Apparently, Drilon who reportedly says he “spent his pork funds on school buildings, public hospitals and indigent patients” thinks “building” stuff pretty much constitutes the only role “legislators” play in the running of the state. To Drilon, it seems, without pork, Congress is pretty much useless…
Senate President Franklin Drilon said that while the PDAF would be abolished as declared by the President, each lawmaker would still retain their right to direct a portion of the annual budget (P200 million for each senator and P70 million for a representative) to a hospital or a road project that they desired.
“What will happen if we will not take a direct hand (in the identification of projects)? Let’s just abolish Congress then,” he said.
Drilon said the only difference from the reviled pork barrel system and the President’s plan was that these allocations would be made during the regular public hearings on the budget in Congress and that the funds would go directly to the implementing agency and not to nongovernment organizations. The NGOs handle the implementation, monitoring and reporting under the current system.
Maybe Drilon has suddenly forgotten the actual legislative work that legislators are supposed to be doing that need not be funded by pork — you know, things like crafting and deliberating laws and all that.
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Interestingly, back in the 31st of July 2013, a Sun Star report quoted Drilon as saying something quite the opposite to what he now says following that Luneta “million people march”…
MANILA — Senate President Franklin Drilon backed the proposal of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Wednesday to scrap the pork barrel of lawmakers by 2016.
“I was for the abolition of PDAF (priority development assistance fund) from the very beginning. The proposal of Miriam appears to be feasible,” said Drilon, although he declined to say if his position reflects the sentiment of the majority.
Ano ba talaga mister Senate President??
So back to the question that forms the crux of this whole “debate”. Why do legislators need to be involved in the actual appropriation and disbursement of public funds? They are already involved in the approval of the manner with which these have been allocated in the national budget. The actual execution of the operations funded by these appropriations is an Executive function. The spending of these funds within the limits specified in said approved budget is the responsibility of the Executive branch. And the job of keeping the officers of the Executive branch honest falls within the domain of a number of investigative and police agencies within the government — the Commission on Audit (COA), the Ombudsman, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) among others. Given this fine array of institutional oversight, we can now see that further oversight coming from the Legislative branch is simply redundant — a waste of time and resources that could’ve been channeled towards the real job of Congress: crafting the nation’s laws.
Perhaps what Drilon really meant to say is that we should abolish that part of Congress that will really be rendered useless if the pork barrel funds are taken away. You wonder then in this light: What use is the Senate?
Indeed:
What does the Senate do that the House of Representatives cannot do?
Does the Philippines really need a Senate?
As always:
Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Obviously, he wants pork barrel to stay. Secondly, what he’s trying to say is that its impossible and pork barrel is the legislative body itself.
eh di abolish congress! since it’s the opposite of progress.
tomo
If we had a unicameral legislature, at least we wouldn’t have a second bunch of bleedin so–and–so’s that contributes nothing but hot air, causes gridlock and drains the national treasury. One chamber is more than enough, thank you. Of course, the quality of our congressmen still leaves much to be desired.
Dammit, Benign0! You exposed the loophole for palamunins, has-beens and the retirement-insecure to be relevant in society!
You know, Mr. Drilon,
Abolishing Congress has got to be one of the best ideas you’ve ever come up with!
Korek. . .
Mr. Franklin Drilon is so stupid in even proposing to abolish Congress. Its the pork system stupid… not the co-equal branch of the Executive. The system of funding must be reformed. Bring back the line item budget! Restrict and stop totally perks and privileges of senators and congressmen! No more signing privileges in 5 star hotels and restaurants! Reform the pork system and transform it into the Constituents Development Plans and Programs. This is exclusive to all constituents without the senators or congressmen putting their fingers into the pie!Complete COA auditing and accounting shall be applied without exemption, fear or favor. Pass the FOI act! Create professional citizens oversight in participating in acts of the senate and the congress! Junk the fly by night NGO’s and utilize reputable contractors using the bidding process! Reform the DBM and fire Florencio Abad! Free co-equal and co-independent branches of government from Executive Branch control! Let the torch of the independence of the Judiciary and the courts of law shine again! Revive the rule of law! Down with the dictator BS Aquino! Down with the yellow dictatorship!
One other thing… Abolish the excessive, extravagant PHP 1 trillion pesos pork barrel of the dictator president! Abolish the pork barrels in the Executive Branch! Down with the yellow kleptocracy!
Right, Thomas. The P 10 Billion Pork Barrel scandal was designed to distract the people from the REAL issue, the P Trillions.
HA, you think the rest of them deserve to stay? HA,thieves, all of them, every single one!
To think these guys graduated from UP with law degrees. Abolish the congress? sure! we don’t give a f^(#! just get rid of the pork now.
Things You and I most probably didn’t know about Drilon (if we are to believe it).
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kristine-kua/drilon-and-his-millions/233957716642901
The truth shall set you free! More indigestion for the yellow trolls. BS Aquino, his LP and their hidden pork…
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/18400-noy-and-lps-own-pork-barrel-all-hidden
That’s dat BULL-SHIT, THE TRUTH WILL GET YOU THROWN IN JAIL. and that is where all these POS belong, OR WORSE.
They are all laughing at you, one after another as they think they are all un-touchable. Up to now, THEY ARE! Not a single one has ever been thrown in a real JAIL, given any Peso’s back or been executed.
NOT ONE!
Thieves with licenses to steal the people’s money. The anit-corruption laws are a JOKE, they wrote them and are laughing about it!!
and Filipino’s stand for it, P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!
A few thousand criminal families from north to south control the Philippines and will never give up power.
They do not care about there own people
and 95 million do not have the balls to do anything about it. They would rather live in poverty and misery forever.
Yes you are right it is P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.
About time as a race you lot grew some balls and stood up for once and made real change to your country.
He is plump and oily and shiny…. reminds me of lechon pork.
This guy is in it only for himself. Saying things so that he will be more popular. May pangarap e.
I remember him, with falling tears….drama… they should put a bamboo stake up his ass and out his mouth, and then on hot charcoals.
The people of the Filippines are ALL under-paid, including the SALARIES of the elected officials. Every single person in the country should double the amount of money they are paid…IMMEDIATELY! These Senators are paid a paltry $1500/month and anyone thinks they can afford the suits they walk around in on that salary? HA!!! they can barely afford a used car! When corruption is halted(LMAO!) and a true picture of the GDP or the GNP is realized, there will be enough to pay people double, toower the 12% VAT, to lower the excessive national tax on gasoline that keeps the price double that of the western countries.
IF all the people start actually filing and paying taxes on their incomes, EVERYONE. You’ll see a change, quickly.
Their is more wealth than most people realize in the country, and when the thieving stops, REAL improvements could be made….BUT IT AIN’T GONNA STOP BECAUSE OF SCUMBAGS LIKE THE GUY in the article.
But.. Those scumbags were peoples choice last election. We can have a million people power but until the majority of the Pinoys will possess the proper mindset nothing will ever change. Not unless we get lucky and the one who will grab the throne will be someone like Singapores LKY.
True, Barbero, they were elected, but they were not necessarily the peoples choice. We just get limited options, Corrupt or Immoral.
“If there is no corruption, there is no poverty”. It’s that simple.
You’re right, Gerry. Raise everybody’s pay. Low pay and poverty keeps these people in power, coz they can buy votes cheap.
IDEA!!!! call for another 1 million people march. 2 on the same day, one to the Palais and one to Senate.
AND JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED in ICELAND in 2009, the 1 million people make it VERY CLEAR and DEMAND that they all resign, or face arrest and treason charges! AND THAT THE PROCESS is going to start right there, right then and now and it is not going to be pretty, unless they all resign, effective immediately.
When people are grabbed by the ballocks, their hearts and minds easily follow orders! Step Ma-Fugga, Step.
This could be done, EASILY. Why it has not happened already, HA! IDK, but 1 million pissed off people showed up on less than a weeks notice, all that needed to be done was to go to the above mentioned places and make some SERIOUS demands, SERIOUSLY.
YOU WANT CHANGE? MAKE IT HAPPEN.or keep listening to con-artists like DRI-cleaner, Bing-bing, Miri-orangutang!
What? WHAT? Stoppin me now?
@ Gerry
Sige, mauna ka.
Been there, done that. Twice.
Nothing changed.
Your point? :p
This is actually one of the best suggestions that Drilon has given in his entire political career. I hope he means the entire two legislative bodies – HR and Senate. So that he and the rest of the balimbing politician will finally be history. And we will be spared of the expense and patience in watching these people pretend to be patriots yet are the first to dip their hands into the cookie jar called PDAF. to Drilon: despite the fact that you flip flopped in issues that you feel risk your political career, something worthwhile has come out of your brain. So go ahead, abolish yourself! (unless you want to do a 360 degree turn again!)
YES, YES, Please Senator, abolish Congress, the Senate, close all Government Departments and GO HOME!!!!
Then Aquino can claim victory, having totally wiped out corruption !!!
Why do legislators need to be involved in the actual appropriation and disbursement of public funds?
In the absence of executive systems for such, the responsibility reverts back to the legislative, because even the creation of executive agencies is part of the Legislative.
They create the Laws. Money is part of the Laws. Even how money is used in the system is part of the laws. If the legislative sees that the executive is not effective enough to see its programs met or fulfilled, it may use its power to use money to see the same done.
Abolish the pork who speaks like a pork. Look at him … Looks like a pork. Smell line a pork and even speak like a pork..OIÑK OIÑK OIÑK OINK OINK….