Pork Barrel Increased

Next year, the pork barrel is increased to Php 22.3 billion from the original Php 6.9 billio.

Here is the news:

Aquino for P22.3-billion 'pork'

DBM requires menu of projects

By GENALYN KABILING

August 10, 2010, 4:31pm

Despite its belt-tightening pronouncement, the Aquino government has proposed a P22.3-billion pork barrel next year, a 223.18 percent increase from this year’s allocation of P6.9 billion – with the P15.4 billion increment to finance infrastructure projects.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad said President Benigno S. Aquino III raised the allocation of the pork barrel, officially known as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), next year with a safeguard, requiring a “menu” for the utilization of the fund.

“The PDAF is higher at P22.3 billion. However, this will incorporate both the hard and soft components of the program. The menus will be limited to the priority programs of the administration,” Abad said last the administration,” Abad told reporters last Monday.



The higher pork barrel system was among the highlights of the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget for 2011, a 6.7 percent increase from the 2010 budget of P1.54 trillion. Although the increase in absolute terms of the pork barrel is significant, the propose amount represents only 1.355 percent of the General Appropriations Act for 2011.

Even as the PDAF allocation was increased, the government proposed a reduction of subsidy programs, tighter funding for government corporations, including their allowances, among others, amid the state’s cash flow problems