MANILA-The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data show that Senate President Franklin M. Drilon has been prudent in his use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) since he came back to the Senate in 2010 and that not a single centavo of his PDAF went to bogus non-government organizations.
According to the DBM website (www.dbm.gov.ph), a total of P293 million worth of projects has been released to the Senate Chief, way below the P600 million he was supposed to avail from the DBM from the years 2010 to 2013. Senators are entitled to P200 million PDAF a year.
“In the spirit of transparency and accountability, I am releasing all my PDAF availments since 2010. I had no PDAF releases during previous years. I was not given a single peso in 2005 and 2006,” he said. “These can be accessed through the website of the Department of Budget and Management.”
“The DBM, all along, has been publishing data on the PDAF allocation of all members of Congress in its website. The DBM data show that I have not fully availed the PDAF allotted to me from 2010 to 2013. In fact, I have only utilized 48.83 percent of the PDAF allotted to me for projects from 2010 to 2013,” emphasized Drilon.
He stressed, “What is more important here is that the record shows that no single centavo of the PDAF allotted to me as a senator went to bogus non-government organizations.”
The biggest amount of the PDAF allocated to Drilon, amounting P153.35 million, was spent for various infrastructure programs which was directly implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Contrary to claims of my detractors, the budget I requested under the PDAF for the construction of priority infrastructure was managed by the DPWH. I had no hand in the actual project implementation and in choosing the contractors. That is a job of the DPWH,” pointed outDrilon.
The amount includes the P32.5 million to fund his school building program nationwide which was coursed through the Filipino Federation of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a recognized non-government organization under the General Appropriations Act, he noted.
“The Filipino Federation of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a recognized non-government organization and definitely, it’s not fake. It has been my partner since 2002 and to date, we were able to build about 1,600 classrooms nationwide which helped in the government’s effort to close the problem on classroom shortages,” emphasized Drilon.
The senator likewise spent P81.65 million for the medical assistance needs of indigent families nationwide coursed through the Department of Health-attached hospitals.
In 2013, Drilon allotted P1.5 million to the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center. Last year, he allocated P79 million for financial assistance indigent patients seeking treatment at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P42.5 million), University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (P21 million), Philippine Heart Center (P7.5 million), Western Visayas Regional Hospital (P3 million), Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (P2 million), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (P2 million), West Visayas State University Medical Center (P1.15 million), and Bicol Medical Center (P500,000).
Aside from the P21 million allotted to the PGH for medical assistance to indigent patients,Drilon also allocated P50 million to PGH charged against his 2010 PDAF for the upgrading and renovation of the dilapidated operating rooms, including acquisition of medical equipment.
Likewise, Drilon assigned additional P5 million to the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) charged against his 2012 PDAF for the renovation of a dilapidated PHC Cardiovascular Sciences Division to provide a better health service.
In 2011, Drilon allotted P500,000 for the construction of a rural health center in San Jose, Camarines Sur.
On the DAP allocation, Drilon said he will await the DBM to comply with the instruction of the President for it to disclose fund allocation under DAP.
“The DBM will publish the DAP allocation like what it has been doing in the case of the PDAF. All allocations made under DAP will be made available by the DBM including those requested by lawmakers,” he said.
Drilon said a big chunk of fund releases under DAP that he requested from the DBM were used for infrastructure projects in Iloilo which is seeking to host the Asia Pacific Economic Conference ministerial meeting in 2015.
“I can account for every peso that was allotted to me under the PDAF or DAP. I do not have a history of malfeasance and misuse of government funds. I am sure that that not a single centavo was channeled to bogus non-government,” he said.
Table. Summary of PDAF Allocation of Drilon (2010-2013)
Items of Expenditure
|
2013
|
2012
|
2011
|
2010
|
2010-2013
|
Nationwide School Building Program
|
32,500,000
|
32,500,000
| |||
Infrastructure
|
41,000,000
|
61,850,000
|
18,000,000
|
120,850,000
| |
Financial Assistance to Indigent Patients in Government Hospitals
|
1,500,000
|
79,650,000
|
500,000
|
81,650,000
| |
Social Services (DSWD)
|
2,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
3,000,000
| ||
Renovation of Phil. Heart Center and PGH
|
5,000,000
|
50,000,000
|
55,000,000
| ||
Total
|
44,500,000
|
179,000,000
|
19,500,000
|
50,000,000
|
293,000,000
|
Note: To access data on Drilon’s PDAF, follow this link:
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