Officials from Malacañang Palace announced the suspension of the Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP), the source of the additonal Php50 million additional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel given to senators.
The additional funding was revealed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada in his privilege speech, Wednesday, and has made headlines as alleged incentives into the ouster of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The DAP allocation supplemented the PDAF of senators and congressmen, and was confirmed by Budget Secretary Butch Abad.
Secretary Abad had earlier denied the allegations that the additional fund was a bribe or a reward for Corona’s conviction.
Senate President Franklin Drilon had also earlier clarified Sen. Estrada’s statements, saying the latter told him after his speech that he did not intend it to sound like a bribe.
Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesperson said that DAP had already been suspended.
“We suspended DAP at the same time we suspended PDAF, according to Secretary Butch Abad,” he said in a televised interview.
He said that DAP allocations were not meant to be used by lawmakers directly.
“These funds are disbursed to the projects nominated by the senators so it means it goes to the implementing agency,” he said.
Sen. Drilon said the DAP was instituted to answer government underspending and low gross domestic product growth in 2011.
He said that DAP should not be classified as pork.
Sen. Francis Escudero agreed with Sen. Drilon.
“The DAP was adopted in 2011 to address the lack of absorptive capacity by some agencies to implement projects,” he said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson has insisted that whatever the funds are called, they are still the same.
“Whatever name you call it (PDAF), that is still pork,” he said in a radio interview.
Sen. Drilon has said that PDAF allocations will be suspended in the 2014 budget.
“Under my watch as Senate President, reforms will start with the immediate abolition of PDAF allocation for senators in the proposed 2014 national budget,” he said.
(with reports from The Philippine Inquirer)