Acknowledging that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) is now dead, Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles delivered a “eulogy” to this now-defunct item in the national budget, which he said, has provided countless benefits to millions of Filipinos despite the myriad of criticisms attached to it.
Nograles, who spoke following the approval by the House of Representatives of the proposed P2.268 trillion General Appropriations Act last October 22, said the fate of millions of underprivileged individuals who have relied on the PDAF to help cope with their economic difficulties now lies in the hands of the implementing agencies where the fund has been distributed.
“As we drive the last nail into the coffin of PDAF, I ask everyone to remember not its highly publicized alleged misuse, but to remember PDAF for all the benefits it has provided to so many poor families—the countless scholars who were able to finish their schooling, the multitude of patients who were given medicines, the many lives it helped save, the grieving families it helped comfort, the hungry mouths it helped feed,” Nograles said in his privilege speech.
The House transmitted to the Senate last October 23 the proposed GAA that it approved on third and final reading by a vote of 219 to 23, devoid of the lump-sum appropriations for the PDAF totaling P25.24 billion.
The House version also abolished the P200 million PDAF for the Office of the Vice President.
"The funds (PDAF) are instead openly identified and allocated to the various priority programs of line agencies to ensure they directly benefit the people and promote inclusive growth," Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had said last week.
In expressing his support for the abolition of the PDAF, Nograles recalled that he, like many of his colleagues in the House, had to calm down the fears of his constituents who either rely on the fund for their medical needs, livelihood, or education.
Nograles, who chairs the House committee on labor and employment, said that although the PDAF has been much maligned in the media, the benefits it has provided to millions of poor families cannot be denied.
He recalled that although a recent nationwide survey done by Pulse Asia show that 45 percent of the respondents want the PDAF abolished, the remaining 55 percent thought otherwise. Nograles noted that 25 percent want the PDAF reduced but still allow lawmakers to identify projects and programs for their constituents; 20 percent said lawmakers should be allowed to keep their PDAF but with a stricter process of implementation; and 10 percent said the fund should be maintained as is, with no changes.
The lawmaker, who represents Davao City’s 1st district, pointed out that the PDAF’s benefits are even more pronounced in Mindanao, which has always been last in priority in terms of government spending.
“Year in and year out, Mindanao legislators fight to get at least one-third of the national budget spent for Mindanao. Instead, we have to contend with 20 percent to 25 percent of the national budget,” Nograles noted.
“PDAF is an equalizer of sorts. At the very least, it assures Mindanao of an increase in government spending—and added attention,” he said.
The PDAF-less national budget for 2014 that was approved by the House provides for safeguards to ensure the strict implementation of programs: These include the following: (1) strictly no downloads to non-government organizations (NGOs); (2) full disclosure; (3) no downloading of projects outside of the Congressional Districts; (4) strict adherence to the Procurement Law and the use of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PHILGEPS) and its facilities in all procurement activities;
(5) third party monitoring on the implementation of the programs and projects; and (6) the DBM and the respective heads of the implementing agencies and their administrators shall be responsible for ensuring that the following information, as may be applicable, are posted in their respective website: (i) name, location and cost of projects; (ii) all releases and realignments; (iii) status of implementation; and (iv) project evaluation and/or assessment reports.
The appropriations previously allocated for the PDAF were distributed among the following priority programs: (a) education, by providing more scholarship programs and assistance to students; (b) health care by providing hospitalization and medical assistance to indigent patients; (c) assistance to persons in crisis by extending medical, transportation, burial and food assistance; (d) employment by strengthening and providing allocation for the SPES of the Special Program for Employment of Students, Tulong Panghanap buhay sa ating Disadvantage (TUPAD) workers and Training for Employment Program; and itemized listing of specific infrastructure projects under the DPWH.