Sen. Panfilo Lacson Members of the House of Representatives have resorted to “pork barrel” insertions in the past years which should be the basis for their strong protest against the cash-based budgeting scheme.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said legislators only wanted more discretionary funds in publicly protesting budget cuts in the 2019 expenditure measure proposed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Lacson lashed out at the congressmen for protesting budget cuts “openly” when they are not supposed to handle any projects and funds even those intended within their districts based on the Supreme Court’s (SC) 2013 decision outlawing the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The SC ruling declared as unconstitutional “all legal provisions of past and present Congressional Pork Barrel laws, such as the previous PDAF and Countrywide Development Fund articles and the various congressional insertions which authorize/d legislators-whether individually or collectively organized into committees ‘to intervene, assume or participate in any of the various post-enactment stages of the budget execution.’”

Lacson theorized the big howl of protest from House members that resulted to in impasse with Malacañang has something to do with reactivating the PDAF or “pork barrel.”

Since the SC decision in 2013, Lacson said House members have resorted to insertions in the national budget which he said have been rising in recent years.

He cited the insertions of funds ranging from P10 million up to P100 million for road projects with right of way under the Department of Public Works and Highways – which sometimes run up to 45 items.

In most cases, Lacson said such funds actually ends up as “pork barrel” for the lawmaker since the projects, if not non-existent, cannot actually proceed as the right of way could not be settled.

The House even sought to recall the DBM’s P3.757-trillion budget proposal it submitted to the Senate in protest of the Malacañang-backed system.

The cash-based budget system under the Budget Reform bill was transmitted to the Senate last March during the time of former Speaker, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.

However, members of the House went against the budget system after former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the speakership last month.

“They’re so open. They are saying they are protesting the budget cuts especially to projects within their districts. The point is, the SC has already ruled in November 2013 that PDAF is unconstitutional,” Lacson said.