President Aquino and his pork

By Nelson Forte Flores | Posted on Sep. 04, 2013 at 12:01am | 902 views

PRESIDENT Benigno Simeon Aquino III had to resort to smooth talking in an apparent bid to make it appear to his “bosses” that he is acquiescing to their wishes to abolish the pork barrel system. But is he really abolishing the pork barrel which is officially known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund? Let us see.
In a televised speech three days before the historic Aug. 26 People’s Cry against the Pork Barrel in Luneta, B.S. Aquino declared the abolition of PDAF but justified its existence, a clear indication that he finds nothing wrong in it. He said pork barrel enables lawmakers to identify and finance projects that cannot be afforded by local government units.
“Wala pong mali o masama sa polisiyang ito. Ang mali, ang masama, at ang siya ngang ikinagagalit ng taumbayan, ay ang pagsasabwatan sa pagitan ng isang pangulong handang makipagtransaksyon para manatili sa kapangyarihan; mga mambabatas handang makipagkuntsabahan; at kung nariyan ang kooperasyon ng burukrasya; at mga mamamayang tila namanhid na sa panlalapastangang ginagawa sa kanila–kung nagsama-sama po ang mga sangkap na ito, maaaring maabuso ang PDAF. Kailangan nating maniguradong hindi na maaabuso ang sistema,” Aquino stressed.
The practice of doling out pork to lawmakers resumed in 1990 during the administration of B.S. Aquino’s late mother former President Corazon Aquino after an 18-year hiatus throughout the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos. At the time it was called Countrywide Development Fund.
At the same time, B.S. Aquino revealed that he already directed the Department of Budget Management to take the appropriate steps that would prevent abuses in PDAF spending. “Inatas po nating itala sa Pambansang Budget kung magkano ang PDAF na natatanggap ng bawat mambabatas, at ipinagbawal na rin natin ang congressional insertions. Partikular na lamang ang menu na puwedeng paglagyan ng PDAF, hindi katulad dati kung kailan inilalagay lamang ito sa kung saan-saan. Hinihingi na rin natin ang mga detalye ng proyekto, di gaya ng nakaraan kung kailan kahit malawak ang depinisyon ay naaaprubahan ito…”
However, as B.S. Aquino abolished the PDAF he immediately categorized the now nameless fund as budget for line item projects of lawmakers. He explained that line budgeting is the mechanism that would ensure that the people’s money is not corrupted by unscrupulous politicians and individuals. The executive department will still finance the lawmakers’ pet projects but with a catch. From now own the lawmakers’ projects will be subject to closer scrutiny for “accountability purposes.”

What B.S. Aquino did not really say is that pork is the “grease” that makes the cogs of Congress run smoothly for him and all other previous occupants of Malacanang. Without this fat, Congress won’t be under the beck and call of the President. Pork is the incentive (or should I say bribe?) that motivates lawmakers to toe the President’s line. This is really why pork cannot be abolished.
So in effect what the President did when he talked about abolishing the PDAF was he took with his left hand what he gave with his right. B.S. Aquino just tightened his grip on the members of Congress. The members of Congress would now be easier to control.
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There are some who are of the opinion that the removal of Renato Corona from the Judiciary as its chief is part of his grand design to control that institution and it served as a prelude to his plan to control the legislature. I did not believe that then but I am now having some doubts.
With one press statement announcing tighter controls for the much hated pork barrel funds, B.S. Aquino recently managed to tighten his hold on Congress without looking bad in public. This “decisive” act was the final straw to bring the three separate co-equal institutions of government – executive, legislative and judiciary – under B.S. Aquino’s influence. Now the tenant in Malacanang has a “say” in every government institution in the country.
Now it is evident that except for Marcos and perhaps his teacher Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, B.S. Aquino, through wily political maneuverings and sheer luck, now exerts more governmental power than any other past president. It seems that the only remaining institutions that have not completely fallen under his sway are the press and the church.
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Janet Napoles finally went to Malacanang and surrendered to B.S. Aquino after the government placed a P10-million bounty on her head. Not only did the President graciously accept Napoles’ surrender, he even accompanied her to Camp Crame without suffering the inconvenience of a handcuff.
Well, well, well. I remember that B.S. Aquino refused to meet Jamalul Kiram III, the Sultan of Sulu, when he tried to meet him in a bid to resolve the Sabah controversy. Kiram’s only fault was that he tried to reclaim Sabah for the Philippines.
If what Napoles, who is accused of illegal detention and is said to be behind the multi-billion peso pork barrel scandal that only apparently benefits the corrupt politicians, received is not special treatment, then I do not know what it is. Perhaps that is the regular order of the day.
Nelson Flores is senior associate editor of Fil-Am Press. He lives in Houston, Texas.