Posted by Zhern
The Aquino administration, while promising Congress leaders to maintain the allocation of the Priority Development Assistance Fund to their districts, has interposed new conditions for their release.
Plan gives more funds for fighting meth, gangs.(Legislature)(Accusations of pork-barrel tactics led to the addition of $1 million to the proposal): An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)
In making the announcement, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad told the lawmakers they should be able to explain the details of the projects to determine whether they are worth the declared expenses.
The disbursement of the fund, Abad said, would also have to be declared publicly, recalling President Benigno C. Aquino's warning during his inaugural address that he would make contractors ''accountable for the integrity of the projects.''
What it means, Abad explained, is that contractors will not be paid in full ''if there is any irresponsibility'' in the performance of the contract.
This new government attitude is understandable in light of the notoriety of the phrase pork barrel allocation which implies kick backs from contractors for deficient or inferior project performance.
The fact is pork barrel has become a derogatory term ''referring to appropriations of government spending for local projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district.''
The usage, by the way, originated from American English related to government projects of appropriation ''that yields jobs or other benefits to a specific locale and patronage opportunities to its political representatives.''
It has been variously described as ''a label for politically motivated funding for local projects,'' or ''funding of something'' that benefits a particular district whose legislator thereby wins favor with local voters.
Surely, the term pork barrel is used for its negative connotations.
Whatever they say about it, however, pork barrel plays a vital role in the life of congressional districts around the country as well as in the political life of their congressional leaders.
Each House member is given P70 million for pork barrel purposes while Senators have P200 million a year each for the same use.
President Aquino has said the government would have to find means that would ensure congress leaders' budget entitlements - funds that he said are spent judiciously and well.
Chaotic as the pork barrel controversy may seem, it must not be viewed as beyond comprehension.
(zhern_28@yahoo.com)
