MANILA: Malacañang clarified yesterday that its announcement of the abolition of the congressional pork barrel – officially called Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) – was just a “policy statement” as only the Supreme Court (SC) can strike down a law.
“It was a policy announcement on the part of the president because, legally, PDAF is part of the GAA (general appropriations act), which is a law,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad issued the same explanation. He said the SC, by declaring PDAF unconstitutional, would effectively have it voided. The SC is deliberating on petitions contesting the constitutionality of PDAF.
Regarding the P25bn PDAF allocated in the 2014 budget, Abad said only Congress can remove it.
Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr said a SC decision on PDAF would be useless in two and a half months when Congress shall have approved a budget program without PDAF.
“Unless the SC resolves the case sooner, this issue will become moot and academic on January 1, when the nation will have a new budget without the PDAF as we know it,” Barzaga said.
The Philippine star
