MANILA: Senatorial candidates who are incumbent lawmakers are spending their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for providing medical assistance, livelihood training and financial aid to local government units.
Senator Francis Escudero, who attended a round table discussion on Wednesday night, gave P75m of his P88m “pork barrel” to government hospitals as medical assistance for the poor.
These hospitals were the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Centre and Philippine Children’s Medical Centre, all in Quezon City, and in provincial hospitals such as the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Centre in Tacloban City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Centre in Cebu City, Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City, Corazon Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City and Bicol Medical Centre in Naga City.
He also allocated P10m for the repair of a barangay road in Dapitan City.
Senator Loren Legarda allocated P50m of her P90.5m PDAF for three projects in Albay — rehabilitation of flood control systems in Malinao town and Legazpi City, and construction of a barangay road, also in Legazpi City. Legarda spent the remaining P36m of her PDAF for vermiculture training and vegetable production in three Pangasinan towns, two municipalities in Zambales and one in Lanao del Norte.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano received P7.3m in PDAF this year. He spent it for the procurement of multi-cab vehicles which he distributed to the local governments of Marawi City, Pateros, Banayoyo town in Ilocos Sur, Gasan in Marinduque, Siasi in Sulu, Lamitan in Basilan, and Tandubas in Tawi-Tawi. He also gave an ambulance to Compostela town in Compostela Valley.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III received the biggest PDAF allocation of P167.3m, which included previous years’ backlog.
Pimentel distributed his funds in small amounts averaging P200,000 to various local government units. He had a few big-ticket projects, including the repair of a barangay road in Carmona, Cavite; construction of a public library in Bais City, Negros Oriental, and a multi-purpose building in Santander, Cebu, and repair of a barangay road in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV spent P25m of his P30m PDAF this year for the repair of multi-purpose buildings in Nueva Ecija, Camarines Sur, Bicol University, Masbate State College of Agriculture, Sorsogon State College, Camarines Norte State College, Catanduanes State College, and the police station in Alcoy, Cebu. He used the remaining P5m for the improvement of access roads in Pagadian City, Zamboangal del Sur.
Four House members — Joseph Victor Ejercito, Jack Enrile, Mitos Magsaysay and Juan Edgardo Angara are seeking senatorial seats this May.
Ejercito, Enrile and Angara spent their PDAF in their districts.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
