Ping Lacson: Leadership fund, mas malala pa sa pork barrel



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Tinawag ni Senador Panfilo "Ping" Lacson noong Huwebes, 13 August, na mas masahol na bersyon ng pork barrel system ang tinaguriang "Leadership Fund."
Ayon kay Lacson, dapat nang puksain ang nasabing pondo dahil pinapayagan nito ang mga mambabatas na makapagpasok ng budget insertions bago pa man magsimula ang opisyal na deliberasyon sa Kongreso.
"The Leadership Fund aka 'allocables' is a worse version of the outlawed pork barrel system. It added another layer that provided legislators opportunity to make budget insertions even during the Preparation Phase of the national budget, or before the National Expenditure Program is transmitted to the Congress for deliberations by both chamber, where further insertions could still be introduced," ani Lacson.
"With all that said, I maintain that such anomaly in the passage of the national budget must stop," pagdidiin pa niya.
Isiniwalat ni dating Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan sa isang pagdinig sa Sandiganbayan na may nakalaang ₱24 billion leadership fund para sa mga senador noong 2024.
Ayon pa kay Bonoan, si dating Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri umano ang naging contact para sa pondo, kung saan bawat senador ay nakatanggap ng hindi bababa sa ₱500 million habang maaari namang umabot sa ₱1 billion ang pondo para sa mga committee chair.
Binanggit din ni Lacson ang mga pondo para sa mga proyekto sa Taguig City sa ilalim ng 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), tulad ng ₱6.79 billion para kay Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at ₱4.7 billion para kay Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Nilinaw naman ng senador na ang mga budget insertion ay hindi awtomatikong nangangahulugan ng korapsyon, ngunit maaari itong maging daan sa pangaabuso.
"While insertions per se do not automatically translate to misuse of public funds, it could open the floodgates of abuse and misuse of public funds for some corrupt politicians," giit ni Lacson.