Mayor bats for retention of LGU share from nat’l gov’t with or no PDAF

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan on said last week the share of the local government units (LGUs) from the national government resources must be retained whether or not the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) will be scrapped following the Supreme Court’s decision declaring the pork barrel system unconstitutional.

            

The mayor said this is necessary to avoid the scenario of reverting to the old system when the country’s resources were centralized in Malacanang and the LGUs had to painstakingly work out their requests to secure the needed funds.

“We have no recourse but to respect the decision of the Supreme Court being the final legal arbiter in our country.  We have no objection if they will abolish the PDAF but we are hoping that they will not scrap the share that they are giving to the LGUs so we will not go back to the old practice when LGUs had to beg like paupers to Malacanang for their much needed funds,” the mayor said.

           

He added if that will happen, LGUs that are reliant on PDAF in implementing their projects are to be pitied.  “They can’t even produce revenues for their own personnel services what more for their development funds?” 

            

The mayor said the problem is not PDAF in itself but in the manner by which it was implemented.

He said the fund was created with the intention of farming out the resources to all the congressional districts of the country but as it is, the defect lies in the way they implemented it.

“So we should see how we can address the problem in the implementation to ensure that the funds are really used for their intended purpose,” the mayor said.

He said he sees no problem with the plan to course the fund through line agencies as long as they can also ensure that the share reaches the target beneficiaries.

            

The mayor said the retention of the LGUs’ share is also needed to enable the local government units to continue their programs servicing the needy which for many years have been funded by the PDAF and which are now in the brink of being discontinued in the wake of the pork barrel controversy.

            

He said the discontinuance of these benefits will affect many underprivileged individuals who rely on these government programs to sustain their education and even livelihood.

            

The mayor said one of the programs now imperiled is the educational financial assistance program he put up during his term as congressman which was now being continued by Rep. Nicasio Aliping Jr.

            

Under the program, student-grantees are given financial assistance worth P14,000 each school year.

            

The mayor said there were reports that with the cessation of the PDAF, the program will be taken over by the Department of Education but the amount of the grant will be reduced to half.

            

“That will be hard for the beneficiaries as the P7,000 per semester is not enough what more if it will be reduced to just P3,500?” the mayor said.

            

He said that with the imminent change in the process, he hopes that the national government will uphold the programs especially those that are worthy and beneficial to the people.