Abolition of Pork Barrel System
WHY ABOLISH PORK BARREL
- Pork barrel is a source of corruption.
- It breeds patronage politics and the politics of immoral compromises between the executive and legislative branches of government.
- As a result, pork barrel undermines the primary duty of Congress to draft and pass laws for the common good. Conversely, it seeks to preserve and protect the interests of those who are in power.
- Pork allocations over the years have grown by leaps and bounds. In 2010, that amount was P26 billion at P80 million each for the 250 house members plus P250 million each for 24 senators. If reports are right, it has now ballooned to P100 million per house member multiplied by 306 members. Include to this the senators’.
- Bribes could ranged from 30-45% bribe, either demanded from or offered by contractors,
- The amount alone of pork barrel lost to corruption could be more or almost equal the entire budget of the DSWD, of the Judiciary, of DAR.
- The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, in 2004, already came up with very comprehensive analyses on pork, entitled Pork is a Political, Not a Developmental, Tool and Legislators Feed on Pork. Despite damning revelations, all our politicians, particularly those in Congress who directly benefit, simply have to turn a blind eye.
- The result – the primary duty of Congress to draft and pass laws for the common good is undermined. Instead, the interests of those who are in power are preserved and protected.
ARTICLES WRITTEN
- 23 June 2011, Pork Barrel – A Continuing Poison in the System, Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project. Alongside others, Jutli blames the fact that scarce public funds that should be invested strategically in developing promising local industries in areas of critical need are instead “wasted” in propagating political patronage through the “pork barrel” system…In continuing with the pork barrel system, Jutli and others say, successive administrations are squandering the country’s long-term economic development for short term political gain.
- 7 June 2010, Aquino should abolish “pork barrel” in fight against corruption, Agenzia Fides
- 16 September 1997, Pastoral Exhortation on Philippines Politics, CBCP. The constitutional principles of separation of powers and of checks and balances among the three departments of government are, on the one hand, abused to create deadlock for political mileage; and, on the other hand, conveniently set aside on occasion for reciprocal advantage. Thus, for example, to entrench themselves in office or to promote their political future, those in the Executive Department cooperate with Congress in padding the government budget with all kinds of pork barrel items–the Countrywide Development Funds, for example, congressional insertions, the special funds in the public works bills–for the disposition of politicians and the discretionary funds of the President…The system is shot through and through with opportunities for corruption, influence-peddling and the indiscriminate use of public funds for partisan or personal purposes. READ MORE.
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