‘Unfreeze PDAF for post-calamity infra’

Ayee Macaraig

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The PDAF is subject of a TRO, but Senator Ralph Recto proposes that senators authorize Malacañang to release their pork barrel for rebuilding efforts in LGUs recently destroyed by calamities

HOMELESS SURVIVORS. Victims of a huge earthquake in Loon, Bohol province stay in temporary tents next to the destroyed church in the town of Loon, Bohol province. Photo taken on October 16. AFP Photo/Philippine Air Force

MANILA, Philippines – Can “frozen pork” be used to help victims of the killer quake that devastated Bohol and Cebu?

Senator Ralph Recto called for the use of senators’ wittheld Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to help victims of the Central Visayas earthquake, Typhoon Santi and the Zamboanga crisis.

Senators are allotted P200 million each annually but the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the release of the remaining pork barrel in the 2013 budget. The High Tribunal is tackling petitions questioning the constitutionality of the PDAF.

Yet in a statement on Friday, October 18, Recto said the Senate can issue a resolution authorizing the executive branch to use senators’ withheld PDAF for rehabilitation efforts.

“I will leave it up to the lawyers in the chamber to perfect the legal language which would free the PDAF from judicial impoundment and at the same time allow executive agencies and local governments to use it to provide comfort and succor to those affected by the said calamities,” Recto said.

“It is perhaps time to thaw the frozen pork and use it to help victims …. Withheld PDAF can be converted into a Priority Disaster Assistance Fund.”

The quake that hit Tuesday killed 171 people, and destroyed roads, bridges, hospitals, homes and centuries-old churches. Villages in Bohol turned into ghost towns as residents are forced to live in makeshift tents and are terrorized by the aftershocks.

Recto said it was a shame that the money is withheld while it can be used for new classrooms and roads.

“The greater tragedy is to hold it in continuous embargo when it can be used to help farmers replant their fields, arson victims to rebuild their homes, and the intrepid Bol-anons and Cebuanos rebuild their towns.”

Recto proposed “resurrecting” the PDAF to a disaster fund, where senators should have no say on how it is spent. He said local governments are in the best position to spend relief funds and lead rehabilitation work.

Senator Grace Poe has made a similar proposal, filing a resolution to use the PDAF for 2014 for a P10 billion special fund for quake victims.

Even before the disaster, lawmakers have raised their concerns about the withheld PDAF, saying scholars and indigent patients suffer because of the TRO.

Yet in oral arguments at the Supreme Court last week, justices rebuffed the appeal of Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza to partially lift the TRO on the PDAF for educational and medical assistance.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the government has many other sources of funds, including the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

The DAP was also questioned before the Supreme Court but the justices did not issue a TRO on its release.

The legality of the PDAF was questioned following the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam, where lawmakers allegedly channeled the money to fake non-governmental organizations in exchange for hefty kickbacks.

The Senate earlier decided to give P6 million in savings to the quake victims

Inspect buildings, review codes

For Senator Francis Escudero and Senator Loren Legarda, stricter laws and better implementation are needed to prevent the kind of damage seen in Central Visayas.

Escudero filed a bill requiring a nationwide inspection of residential and commercial buildings. A team from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and leagues of local government units will conduct the inspection.

He said the results of the inspection will determine the issuance of certificate of inspections and clearance.

The measure also aims to strengthen the National Building Code, and to impose stiffer penalties on officials violating building laws and regulations. These include imprisonment for 30 years, perpetual disqualification to hold office, and permanent revocation of a professional license.

“There are anecdotal evidence suggesting that there is a serious concern with false issuance of building permits, clearances and certifications to some building contractors by errant building officials. This malevolent practice exposes the public to injuries, damages or worse, death,” he said in a statement.

Legarda called on the government to invest in “disaster-proofing” hospitals, schools, and bridges. She cited a guidebook of the World Health Organization saying that the expenses will only add 4% to the cost of construction.

 “This cost is nothing compared to the risk of destruction and death of patients and staff during a disaster, and the equally high health, economic and development impacts in the aftermath,” she said.

GREAT DAMAGE. Vice President Jejomar Binay inspects the damage the earthquake caused in churches in Bohol, saying "You have to see it to fully understand the extent of the damage." Photo from the Office of the Vice President

Water filtration and rescue teams

Senator Nancy Binay, who visited Bohol on Thursday, said she will push for a bigger budget for the rehabilitation of Bohol, Cebu and Zamboanga in 2014 but did not give the amount. 

Binay visited the quake-hit areas along with her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The local government of Makati sent a rescue team and a water filtration system to Bohol.

The Vice President, the housing czar, has said that the Pag-IBIG fund allocated P4.5 billion calamity loans for the victims. – Rappler.com 

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