Baguilat supports ‘overhaul’ of ‘pork’

By Aiza Liza P. Namingit

IFUGAO Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat has expressed his strong support for the move of President Aquino to reform the pork barrel system and consolidate development projects in the national budget.

Baguilat, a member of the Liberal Party, said that with the overhaul of the pork barrel system, congressional district representatives will have to work to secure government approval of and funding for projects and programs badly needed in their respective cities or provinces.

“The removal of the pork barrel should not prevent us from lobbying for approval of our proposals and representatives should not be criticized for doing this because a big part of our job is to get funding for our own district,” said Baguilat.

During his first term as Representative of the Lone District of Ifugao, for example, Baguilat allocated P35.7 million for scholarships through the Ifugao State University and the Commission Higher Education. Over P9 million went to livelihood assistance; P5.2 million for Philhealth assistance and more than P3 million for medical assistance.

Data show that more than 6,000 families were sponsored by Baguilat’s Priority Development Assistance Fund in three years with the local government units through the Social Work offices and municipal health offices selecting the beneficiaries based on their database of indigents.

On the scholarships, Baguilat prioritized education as this was demanded by the people of Ifugao. He put in almost 40 percent of his soft PDAF allocation for them.

Around 600 students were provided education assistance in 2010 and the list now runs to 1,500. The majority of these scholars attend state universities while the rest are in private universities and colleges. The scholars were based on need as well as merit.

The balance of his PDAF went to infrastructure projects identified in consultation with the Ifugao government. The funds were coursed through government agencies and the projects complied with the menu of projects allowed by the Department of Budget and Management.

Baguilat stressed that the DBM under the Aquino administration limited the areas where the PDAF could be used, placing priority on schools, roads and health facilities.

“The pork barrel has long been criticized for being prone to abuse and corruption and perhaps it is high time to reform the system. But for Ifugao, the PDAF was used to help the province since local funds are not enough to cover the needs of the people,” said Baguilat.

Thus in the absence of a pork barrel, Baguilat said that he remained committed to securing much needed funds for the province’s specific needs through government agencies.