Thursday, June 2, 2011
SENATOR Juan Miguel Zubiri hopes Malacanang will refrain from using "pork barrel" funds for leverage in the debate on moving elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) to 2012.
At a press briefing Wednesday, Zubiri said President Benigno Aquino III should stick to his promise that both administration and opposition lawmakers will get their share of the Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF).
"I used to be majority leader (in the Villar Senate) and I know the tricks of the trade when it comes to passing legislation in the plenary. It is an extensive armoury of weapons," he said of "friendly" and "non-friendly" tactics available to the Senate leadership.
He said he is worried that his colleagues who have committed to opposing poll postponement "may turn around and join those for postponement" for fear of losing their PDAF.
"We used to have an ally who was really outspoken (against poll postponement) but whom we don't see anymore," he said. The senator did not give additional details.
Zubiri said if the Aquino administration resorts to withholding funds, then it will be no different from "traditional politicians in the past."
Before the House of Representatives voted to impeach then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay accused Malacanang of using pork barrel funds to make sure that the House would vote against Gutierrez.
She said Cavite Representative Joseph Emilio Abaya, an administration ally and chairman of the House appropriations committee, sent text messages to tell lawmakers that anyone who opposed impeachment would get "zero pork barrel."
Malacanang promptly denied the allegations, with deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte saying "it is not a policy of President Aquino to use pork barrel to sway in one way or another."
The Senate committee on local government, of which Zubiri is a member, filed its committee report Tuesday opposing the proposal to move the Armm elections.
The bill, filed by Senator Franklin Drilon, was automatically referred to the Senate archives but was retrieved when committee chairman Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and six other senators moved to bring the issue to the Senate floor.
"Our side, Our group, we will be steadfast in our commitment to go against this," Zubiri said, adding if the Senate fails to pass the bill before the Senate adjourns, the President will have to call for a special session.
He said senators should vote according to their conscience "because
(postponement) not only has political ramifications but Constitutional and legal ramifications."
Before the Senate commenced debates on the proposed poll postponement Wednesday afternoon, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima and Peace Process Adviser Teresita Deles were seen at the Senate.
Also spotted at the Senate was Ronaldo Llamas, Presidential adviser on political affairs.