'No sacred cows in pork-barrel probe'
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Philippines' Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales announced on Tuesday that the eight-member Interagency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council (IAAGCC) would look into the alleged misuse of "pork barrel" funds uncovered in a spe
The review conducted by the Commission on Audit (COA) and released last week showed that 82 non-government organisations (NGOs) received 6.165 billion pesos (Bt4.45 billion) from allocations of 12 senators and 180 members of the House of Representatives under their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
“We will go where the evidence leads us,” De Lima said of the inquiry into the alleged diversion of the PDAF funds intended to ease rural poverty to ghost projects and kickbacks.
The investigation will be nonpartisan, meaning it will cover both the opposition and administration allies, De Lima said in the joint news conference a day after tens of thousands joined the Million People March demanding the scrapping of the pork barrel system.
“We don’t have any record of being tools of anybody, to spare this fellow or spare that fellow and make it hard for the other fellow. So we assure you of the credibility of the investigation,” Morales added.
The IAAGCC probe will be separate from the inquiry being conducted by the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation into the alleged 10-billion-peso pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who has disappeared.
The “paper trail” being looked into by the NBI includes letters of endorsements of lawmakers to NGOs and the implementing agencies, special allotment release order, notice of cash allocation and proofs of fund releases from the Department of Budget and Management to implementing agencies and from the NGOs to Napoles and Napoles to certain lawmakers.
