pdaf overview

7/29/2019 Pdaf Overview

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PDAF: An Overview

Hon. Paulino Salvador “Doy” Leachon

Representative

First District, Oriental Mindoro



What is PDAF?

Priority Development Assistance Fund

is a discretionary fund in the Philippines availableto members of Congress. Originally establishedas the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) in1990, it is designed to allow legislators to fundsmall-scale infrastructure or community projectswhich fell outside the scope of the nationalinfrastructure program, which was often

restricted to large infrastructure items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discretionary_spending

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_the_Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_the_Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines






Brief History and Origin of

PDAF(Pork Barrel)

An American Invention:– Pork Barrel = the practice in the pre-refrigeration era of

preserving pork in large wooden barrels of brine.– The political usage may have been inspired by the

distribution of rations of salt pork to slaves on

plantations."– Rawson cited journalist C. C. Maxey, who observed:

"Oftentimes the eagerness of the slaves would result ina rush upon the pork barrel in which each would striveto grab as much as possible for himself. Members of Congress in the stampede to get their localappropriation items into the omnibus river andharbor bills behaved so much like the slavesrushing the pork barrel, that these bills werefacetiously styled 'pork-barrel' bills."




PDAF(Pork Barrel)

1933

–The Congress of the USA in Washing DCwas called porkland

–Due to the notion that a congressman’s job then was to get as much “porkbarrel” as he can have to bring back to

his or her home district;benefitting theirconstituents




PDAF(Pork Barrel)

Other countries with Pork Barrel

–United Kingdom

–Australia

–New Zealand

–Denmark

–Sweden




PDAF(Pork Barrel)

Transplanted to the Philippines…

–1922: Public Works Act separated fromthe General Appropriations Act (GAA)

During this time, there was no president.The Philippines was governed by the USCivil Governors of the Philippine Islands.

By 1930s, Pork Barrel was like a personal

discretionary fund of legislators whobelonged to the ruling party




PDAF(Pork Barrel)

Marcos Regime

–Pork Barrel = Cronyism

Power to dispense pork is lodge with

President Marcos.

No check and balance

Members of the Batasang Pambansa alliedwith Marcos often gets the lion’s share of

pork barrel




PDAF(Pork Barrel)

Pork After EDSA 1986Mindanao Development Fund (1989)

– Php. 480M

Visayas Development Fund (1989)

– Php. 240M

• Representatives from the Visayas and Mindanao aregiven leeway to identify projects in their districts andwere allocated Php. 10M each.

Countrywide Development Fund (1990)

– Initial Funding of Php. 2.3B to be divided amongstRepresentatives and Senators

Priority Assistance Development Fund (2000)

– Started during the term of Pres. Estrada



Legality of Pork BarrelPhilippine Constitutional Association vs. Enriquez, et al. (235 SCRA 507[1994])

Sarmiento et al.vs. The Treasurer of the Philippines, et al. (G.R. No.125680 & 126313, September 4,2001)

- Power of the Purse belongs to Congress. This is called appropriation.

- President can only propose the budget but its Congress who approves the samevia a law (GAA)

“The power of appropriation carries with it the power tospecify the project or activity to be funded under theappropriation law. It can be as detailed and as broad as

Congress wants it to be.”



Legality of Pork Barrel

Yesterday, September 10, 2013,Supreme Court issued a TROstopping the release of the remaining

pork barrel for this year

Belgica, Samsong Alcantara, et. Al.filed a case question the legality of

PDAF



Legality of Pork Barrel

Three branches of our republicangovernment

–Executive – Power of the Sword

– Judicial – Power of the Pen

–Legislative – Power of the Purse

POWER OF THE PURSE = APPROPRIATION



Legality of Pork Barrel “The Countrywide Development Fund is explicit that it shall beused for infrastructure, purchase of ambulances andcomputers and other priority projects and activities and creditfacilities to qualified beneficiaries xxx.” It was Congress itself that determined the purposes for the appropriation.”

“The Countrywide Development Fund attempts to makeequal the unequal. It is also a recognition thatindividual members of Congress, far more than thePresident and their congressional colleagues, are likelyto be knowledgeable about the needs of theirrespective constituents and the priority to be giveneach project.”



Programs under the Pork Barrel

Divided into “Softand Hard” Projects

– Php. 70 M for

Congressmen– Php. 200 M for

Senators

Soft Hard1. Scholarships

2. MedicalAssistance

3. Livelihood

4. IT Equipments

5. FinancialAssistance toLGUs

1. Small InfraProjectsroads,bridges, foot

bridges,pathways,multipurposebuildings,schoolbuildings,potable watersystem, floodcontrol,drainagesystem,irrigationfacilities andelectrificationprojects.



Limitations

The projects to be funded areexclusively enumerated.

Must follow procurement and biddingprocedures.

Implemented by accountableagencies.

Covered by post-audit of theCommission on Audit.



Reference

“Understanding the Pork Barrel” Hon. Prospero Nograles and Hon. Edcel Lagman

“Pork Barrel Timeline” www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/54292/oink-history-spotphs-pork-barrel-timeline



MARAMING SALAMAT PO!

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