SCRAP THE PORK BARREL SYSTEM FOR GOOD

By Bayawanon

The pork barrel which makes the senators and congressmen become more hypertensive is back. People were protesting against this congressional fund during the time of Aquino III on the plain and simple reason that it is a discretionary fund and thus would be subject to too much abuse or corruption. This was scrapped by the Supreme Court when the same was still called PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) since it was ruled by the same court to be unconstitutional, now it is back under the new administration since it is now a proposed budget in the incoming fiscal year 2017, of course it is back with a new name so as to make the people believe that it is already terminated for good. Tsk, tsk, tsk we are simply running and roaming around the bush, good for them for they are in power, bad for the people for they have chosen the wrong ones.

The pork barrel system is very useful to congressmen and senators who have nothing to do in the Senate and the House of Representatives but to make their seats clean and shiny, since this fund may be used in infrastructure programs which are not LEGISLATIVE in nature, take note that the senators' and congressmen's  primordial duty is to make, alter and repeal laws for the good of the people as can be gleaned from the sacred Constitution of the Republic. This pork barrel is actually good if used in proper ways, but mostly it is used by the solons for purposes of re-election and for personal gain because of the fact that it is a DISCRETIONARY FUND, hence the rules of accounting is not properly observed and since the same rule is very elastic, because of this CORRUPTION is not remote or impossible.

The pork barrel can make a president stronger for if the same is given to the congressmen and senators regularly, the president would have more influence over them, ergo this discretionary congressional fund would give the president more grip of power regarding CONGRESS as a whole and opposition against him in totality would be negated. This reality would probably make the head of state a despot or a totalitarianist since the fulcrum of the balance of power between congress and the presidency would tilt in favor of the latter, ergo the check and balance between the presidency and congress would be ineffectual.

In connection with my above premises, I hope and pray that the present administration would reconsider its stand regarding the resurgence of the PORK BARREL SYSTEM, since I honestly believe that it would tantamount to any situation inimical to the interest of the people and it would violate the long time honored principle of SALUS POPULI EST SUPREMA LEX "the welfare of the people is the supreme law".