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However, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the extra funds did not come from the Disbursement Acceleration Program but from his group’s regular annual Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation.
“I received additional P10-million SARO (special allotment release order) under ‘continuing appropriation’ in April 2012 four months after former chief justice Renato Corona was impeached (by the House of Representatives in December 2011),” he said.
SARO is a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) document certifying that funds are available for certain projects. “Continuing appropriation” is a term for carryover balances of the previous year’s items in the national budget.
PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel. PDAF allocations used to have a life of two years. They are now good only for one year.
“We availed of the additional funds to fill the significant amount of our unreleased PDAF for the needs of our marginalized constituents,” Colmenares said.
“Bayan Muna has shown its consistency and determination to impeach former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and Corona borne out of our principles, and not for any monetary or pork considerations,” he said. “Because of our stand, Arroyo denied us pork for five years but we do not regret it.”
The DBM website shows that last year, Bayan Muna received P124.775 million in PDAF, of which P108.9 million was continuing appropriation (2011 balance) and P15.875 million was for 2012.
Of the P124.775 million, P69.775 million was allocated to Colmenares and P55 million to Bayan Muna colleague Teddy Casiño.
Colmenares said the P108.9 million must have included the extra P10 million.
This year, the DBM has made available a total of P95.725 million to Bayan Muna. Of that amount, P83.350 million is continuing appropriation, while P10.375 million is part of Bayan Muna’s PDAF for this year.
Of the P95.725 million, P50.375 million was allocated to Colmenares and P45.350 million to Casiño, who lost in his senatorial run in last May’s elections.
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Like House members elected from congressional districts, each party-list representative is supposed to get P70 million a year in PDAF.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) convened as a whole has approved the live streaming of the oral arguments on the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the release of PDAF for next year.
The unprecedented decision of the 15-man tribunal was made under the principle of pro hac vice, which means “for this case only.” It was contained in a one-page resolution dated Oct. 1 and signed by SC Clerk of Court Enriqueta Vidal. Media coverage of court hearings and oral arguments is usually not allowed. — With Aie Balagtas See
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