Administration holds PDAF for militant party-list solons
Militant party-list groups have been relying on donations to fund their projects after the administration allegedly froze their pork barrel funds for supporting the failed impeachment moves against President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said representatives of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela have failed to receive their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) since 2005 due to stonewalling from the administration.
"Not a single centavo has been released to us," Ocampo said in an interview at the sidelines on a forum on human rights violations here Friday.
He said this involves P70 million per year for six party-list representatives in the 13thCongress and for the five militant legislators in the current 14thCongress.
Ocampo alleged that the funds have been withheld after they supported the impeachment complaints in 2005 and 2006 against the President.
The militant party-list groups also drew the ire of the administration after they threw their support to ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia against the administration-supported bid for the House leadership by Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles.
Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela have asked the help of senators to help fund their projects to compensate for the lack of funding, according to Ocampo.
But even without their PDAF, Ocampo last Friday handed out relief goods to depressed communities in Iloilo City especially those severely affected by typhoon "Frank" last June 21.
The typhoon triggered the worst flooding experienced in Western Visayas and left hundreds dead and tens of thousands homeless.
Ocampo led the relief-giving operations to around 3,000 residents in the Barangay Tabuc Suba in Jaro District in the villages of Sinikway and Rizal in La Paz District.
"This is one way of reaching out to our people who are in desperate need for economic relief not only because they were badly hit by Typhoon Frank. The economic difficulty we are facing is already too burdensome for our people especially to those in urban poor communities," said Bayan Muna regional coordinator Hope Hervilla.
The relief packs amounting to a total of P2.7 million consisted of rice, fried fish, monggo (mung bean), cooking oil, sugar, blanket, mosquito net, water container, and kitchen utensils.
Ocampo said they raised the amount through solicitations from individuals and organizations in locally and from abroad.
"We are not paralyzed despite the freezing of our funds. We stand by our commitment for the people amid the pressures from the administration," said Ocampo.
Similar relief giving activities are also set in the provinces of Aklan, the worst hit province, Capiz and Antique.