MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 25, 2013) – Filipino legislator Neri Colmenares has asked the Commission on Audit to look into the spending of President Benigno Aquino’s own pork barrel, especially the money that comes from the Malampaya funds.
The Malampaya funds consist of payments of Caltex and Shell to the Philippines for extracting natural gas in Malampaya near the province of Palawan. It is kept in the so-called Special Account 151 and Colmenares said the fund is not subject to appropriation under the national budget and is the biggest source of presidential pork.
Colmenares said the law clearly states that proceeds from the Malampaya contract should be spent on energy related projects in order to develop our energy capability and lower the cost of electricity.
The government has collected a total of P173 billion since 2002, but instead of turning these over to the General Fund, these were spent on non-energy related projects such as the P900 million from the Department of Agrarian Reform and for road constructions in various districts in the country favored by the president.
The lawmaker said about P38 billion have already been spent and the remaining P 132 billion is still in the hands of Aquino.
“Particular attention must be devoted in investigating the P5.8 billion given to the Department of Agriculture as agricultural guarantee fund for typhoon victims including the investigation of whether the beneficiaries of this huge amount actually exist. COA must include in its investigation the P7.09 billion given to build roads in lucky districts favored by the President through the Department of Public Works and Highways,” Colmenares said.
He also asked COA to investigate the P745 billion given to the Department of Health. He said the COA should also investigate the P1 billion given to the Armed Forces’ Modernization Fund since there is no record or documents for the release of the money, and the P2.14 billion allocated to the police for its so-called disaster preparedness program.
“While the Filipino people suffer under the yoke of very high rates for electricity, the Malampaya fund is being spent on non energy related projects like the P 445 million spent by President Aquino to buy a US warship. If the Malampaya funds were used to fund sustainable energy projects we would not be suffering the same level of brownouts and high electricity cost that is plaguing the people now,” Colmenares said.
“This is the problem with presidential pork and that is why it should be abolished. The people and Congress have no control of the funds, giving the president the power to decide which project to undertake, which mayor or congressman to support, and how much.”
He said the constitutional provision that Congress has the power of the purse is now only in name, since the national budget is practically controlled by the president through his billions of pesos of presidential pork.
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