By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE rallyists had their own calls and campaigns and clung to their own advocacies, but for a few hours at least, they were united in calling for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the prosecution of lawmakers and individuals involved in the allocation of public money to fake
By VERA Files Rallies broke out in major towns and cities all over the country in one ofthe biggest spontaneous expressions of outrage the country has seen since the 1986 People Power Revolution. Police estimates say some 80,000 people have gathered at the Luneta Park, the main venue of what was billed to be the
[View the story “A Million March ” on Storify] [hr]
By ELLEN TORDESILLAS ALLEGED big-time pork barrel operator Janet Lim-Napoles has close ties with a Malacañang consultant whom President Benigno Aquino III ordered fired as soon as he discovered the connection two weeks ago. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, consultant to Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa, was ordered dismissed after he was mentioned as having brokered Napoles’
By YVONNE T. CHUA PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III announced Friday his administration is set to “abolish” the infamous Priority Development Assistance Fund, or PDAF. But “pork barrel,” in reality, is staying. In Aquino’s own words, legislators will retain the discretion to “identify and suggest projects” for their districts under a new mechanism the budget
By YVONNE T. CHUA and BOOMA B. CRUZ (Note: The excerpt on the history of pork barrel in the Philippines was written by VERA Files trustees Yvonne T. Chua and Booma Cruz in 2004 for the book, The Rulemakers: How the Wealthy and Well-Born Dominate Congress.) WHETHER they come in large or small amounts, pork barrel
By LALA ORDENES WITH Janet Lim-Napoles and the P10 billion “pork barrel” scam hogging the headlines, here’s a thought: In an ideal world where the pork barrel is spent on the projects it is originally allocated for and no government official is corrupt, will the pork barrel be a successful tool in improving the standard
By MIKHA FLORES GOVERNMENT projects using pork barrel funds will be allowed during the campaign period, but will be subject to stringent rules, the Commission on Elections said on Friday. The poll body said it will allow projects using the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during the 45-day ban on public works spending and campaign period