Lacson ‘nakaamoy’ ng ‘pork’

READ: ‘Pork release’ ni Suarez inilabas ng Kamara

NANGANGAMBA si Senador Panfilo Lacson na posibleng bumalik ang “pork barrel” sys­tem makaraan tiyakin ni House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na walang kongresista na pagkakaitan ng budget.

Binanggit ang Su­preme Court ruling na nagdeklarang ang Prio­rity Development As­sistance Fund system ay uncostitutional, binig­yang-diin ni Lacson na ano mang budget na mapupunta sa congres­sional district ng mam­babatas, ay ikino­konsiderang pork barrel.

“Nothing could be clearer than what their speaker announced: no congressman will have zero budget for his/her district, meaning, they will make insertions here and there, thus mangling the [National Expendi­ture Program]. Isn’t that pork?” pahayag ni Lac­son,

“The November 2013 high court ruling says ‘all informal practices of similar import and effect, which the Court similarly deems to be acts of grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of discretion’ are declared void,’” dagdag niya.

Ang anunsiyo ni Ar­royo ay taliwas sa hak­bang ng kanyang pinalitan na si Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, na nagbigay ng zero budget sa ilang op­position lawmakers.

“Nakuha na ‘yung listahan ng mga zero budget. Bibigyan sila ng budget as a gesture of goodwill… hindi sila ze-zero,” pahayag ni Arroyo sa mga reporter sa Bula­can, habang sinasaksihan ang turnover ng dredging equipment.

“‘Di ba dapat, walang probinsiya at bayan na mawawalan ng budget. Bakit district? E ‘di pang-congressmen nga. E ‘di pork. Further, if it looks like pork, sounds like pork, and smells like pork, then it must be pork,” diin ni Lacson.

ni Gerard Baldo