MANILA: President Benigno Aquino has accused former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of involvement in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scam from 2007 to 2009.
Speaking on television last week, Aquino said the P70-million and P200-million Fund allocations for lawmakers were “established for a worthy goal” to help remote local communities put up development
projects.
“(The problem) was the collusion among a former president ready to trade favours just to remain in power, legislators, and members of the bureaucracy who were willing to conspire, enabled by a passive and indifferent citizenry,” he said.
Aquino said the public was outraged because the previous administration treated the PDAF as its own private fund to use as it as it pleases.
“All these factors put together make the PDAF prone to abuse,” he said. Philippine Star
