DBM: 4 senators got biggest 'pork' in 2013

By Camille Diola (philstar.com)



Composite photos of senators Miriam Santiago, Lito Lapid, Tito Sotto and former Sen. Edgardo Angara. Senate PRIB


MANILA, Philippines — Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago, Edgardo Angara, Manuel "Lito" Lapid and Vicente "Tito" Sotto III led the Department of Budget and Management's (DBM) record of Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or "pork barrel" releases in 2013.

The DBM, which made the records public on Tuesday, indicated that P100 million was appropriated to each of the four senators prior to the Supreme Court's ruling, halting the issuance of pork barrel.

Most of the releases were also made before the May 2013 mid-term elections.

Read related: 'PDAF unconstitutional'

The agency also released P99.75 million for the projects of Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and P98.5 million for Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who now faces plunder charges for the pork barrel fund scam between 2007 and 2009, also received P95.5 million from the DBM last year. Co-accused Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile was appropriated P75 million.
Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla, who is also charged with plunder, is not on the list.
The complete list is shown below:

PDAF Releases of Upper House for Fiscal Year 2013

as of 17-06-2014 10:23:09

Legislator Name New Appropriation Continuing (Released in 2014) Total ANGARA, EDGARDO J. 100,000,000 0 100,000,000 CAYETANO, ALAN PETER S. 48,000,000 0 48,000,000 EJERCITO-ESTRADA, JINGGOY P. 95,500,000 0 95,500,000 ENRILE, JUAN PONCE F. 75,000,000 0 75,000,000 ESCUDERO, FRANCIS G. 98,500,000 0 98,500,000 GUINGONA, TEOFISTO III 61,630,000 0 61,630,000 HONASAN, GREGORIO II B. 93,000,000 0 93,000,000 LAPID, MANUEL M. 100,000,000 0 100,000,000 LEGARDA, LOREN B. 89,500,000 0 89,500,000 MARCOS, FERDINAND JR. R. 50,000,000 0 50,000,000 PANGILINAN, FRANCIS N. 99,750,000 0 99,750,000 PIMENTEL, AQUILINO III L. 2,500,000 0 2,500,000 SANTIAGO, MIRIAM DEFENSOR D. 100,000,000 0 100,000,000 SOTTO, VICENTE III C. 100,000,000 0 100,000,000 TRILLANES, ANTONIO IV F. 87,920,000 0 87,920,000 VILLAR, MANUEL JR. B. 74,600,000 0 74,600,000 GRAND TOTAL 1,275,900,000

A bulk of Angara's PDAF was assigned to road repair projects in Laguna for P50 million and to a flood control project in Albay worth P25 million.

Infrastructure projects were also the main recipients of Santiago's PDAF allocations, most of which were released to Batangas and La Union.

Sotto, meanwhile, gave majority of his PDAF to public hospitals and local government units for medical assistance to poor patients. He also listed Pampanga, Albay, Bulacan and Quezon City as beneficiaries of construction projects funded by his "pork barrel."

Lapid's PDAF is listed to have assisted health programs and patients in Zambales, Batangas, Zamboanga del Sur, Quezon, Aurora, Pangasinan and Camarines Sur. He also requested part of his "pork" to be alloted for road and school construction and rehabilitation in other provinces.

Pangilinan's funds went to livelihood projects, road improvement, school construction and scholarship programs in Rizal, Batangas, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Albay as well as parts of Metro Manila.

Escudero distributed his PDAF to health, infrastructure and social service projects in the Metro Manila, majority of which implemented by the offices of the Department of Health, Department of Finance and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

At the bottom of the list are Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III who was appropriated with only P2.5 million, and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano whose projects received P48 million.