The drive for the abolition of the graft-ridden Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) is snowballing in the national legislature.
Sen. Bam Aquino told the Dumaguete media last Friday that 15 Senators are already for its abolition. That’s a majority in the Senate.
There is also a big chance for the House of Representatives to pass a resolution calling for the PDAF abolition.
This is because the Liberal Party has made a stand for the abolition of the PDAF, and majority of the congressmen belong to the LP.
The proponents for the PDAF abolition may see this as a big victory.
The people have won, or appear to be winning the battle. No doubt, there will be fewer chances for corrupt congressmen and senators to divert public funds into their own pockets through fake NGOs.
On record, though, not a single national lawmaker has admitted getting kickbacks from their PDAF.
Once the PDAF is abolished, congressmen and senators will no longer be in a position to give projects to their favorite causes. We will no longer see billboards (which we need like we need a bullet in the head) declaring that this particular road, bridge, or overpass “was built through the efforts of” so-and-so.
With the abolition of the PDAF, which is otherwise considered as a discretionary fund, only the local chief executives will have their discretionary fund called “Intelligence Funds”.
But will the use of this fund not bring about the same evil that the abolition of the PDAF seeks to correct?
We don’t hear as much clamor about the Intelligence Fund at the moment. Perhaps, we will be hearing this clamor once the COA decides to make public the accounting of how these funds were spent.
