Drilon raps former SC chief Puno for predicting chaos if pork stays

PASAY CITY (PinoyNews) – Senate President Franklin Drilon, a staunch ally of President Aquino,  has cautioned former Chief Justice Reynato Puno on his prediction of possible chaos or military intervention in case all pork barrel of members of Congress, President Aquino, and other officials are not abolished.
Drklon said Puno should  think first of the actions being carried out by the Senate and the government on the controversial “pork barrel” before engaging in “politicking.”
Puno had earlier warned of chaos, including that of a possible military intervention, if the proposed people’s initiative to scrap Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) would fail.
“It’s unfortunate to hear about such statements, especially coming from a former chief justice. For me, this is a case already filed before the Ombudsman, (under investigation by the Senate) blue ribbon committee. The public is closely watching all the proceedings and developments, so there’s no basis for it,”  Drilon said.
He noted that the former chief magistrate is engaging in “politicking.”
Drilon also continues to be defensive on the issue on the alleged payoff, saying that to this day, this remains an allegation that is yet to be proved by any evidence or documents.
 Puno has warned of a possible  chaos, including a military intervention, if the controversial pork barrel of President Aquino, the senators, congressmen and Cabinet members were not abolished.
Puno made his statement during speeches and at a roundtable discussion with the editors and reporters of a Manila daily newspaper, the Manila Times.
 Puno said the People’s Initiative was provided for in the 1987 Philippine Constitution as the people’s last nonviolent option to bring about changes that Congress cannot deliver.
“[It] is the last peaceful alternative for the people to take charge of their destiny . . . if it failed, we can expect the anger of the people to reach a higher temperature. There will be no other option left,” said Puno. 

This developed as former Senator Panfilo Lacson, a close ally of President Aquino, exposed what he termed as ugly side of the Aquino administration through the alleged “financial dictatorship” and control of billions of funds by Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad.
 Lacson accused the Aquino administration of allegedly violating the Constitution and misusing public funds to impose a “fiscal dictatorship” to control all branches of government.
In a scathing speech at the Philippine Constitution Association, Lacson said the country was now saddled with a P P5.684-trillion debt that enabled the government to accumulate “savings” of P669 billion that was being used to impose a fiscal dictatorship and perpetuate greed and corruption.
Lacson did not spare his former colleagues in the Senate and disclosed that the senators even wanted to increase their pork barrel allocations to as much as P300 million each in 2006 under the leadership of Liberal Party stalwart and Senate President Franklin Drilon.
Lacson said the national budget had more than doubled under Mr. Aquino just in his first year.
“In 2002, the first national budget under former President [Gloria] Arroyo was P782.9 billion. Nine years later, in 2011, the first national budget under President Aquino had more than doubled to P1.645 trillion,” Lacson said.
Lacson said the country has enough funds to sustain government operations year after year, but it always ends up short and resorts to borrowings.
“There are two reasons for it — greed and corruption,” Lacson said. “One is obviously worse than the other.”
He said the country’s outstanding national debt in 2003 was P3.256 trillion.
“Ten years later, as of today, it has increased to P5.864 trillion,” Lacson said.
“Every Filipino, both living and unborn is P61,733.28 in debt, both to some foreigners and to his fellow Filipinos,” he said. “It is still counting.”
Amid the pork barrel controversy, President Aquino was defended by Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano who urged the Filipino people to remain calm and trust the determination of the administration of President Aquino  to end graft and corruption in the country.
”Let’s put our trust to other officials like our President,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano said anarchy would take place if the public will have no full trust and confidence on government officials who remain honest and clean in the conduct of their duties.
”If other officials commit mistakes, let’s remind them. But let’s assert trust to some of our leaders because anarchy will take place if we don’t trust them,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano, however, asked the people to vigilant in guarding the people’s money against unscrupulous officials and individuals.
”Regardless of your stand on pork barrel, do not give up the issue of anti-corruption or good governance because it’s your money,” the senator said. 
President Aquino alone has hundreds of billions in funds considered by many as “pork barrel.” Vice President Jejomar Binay also has pork barrel funds but it is only in the millions of pesos.
Senators, on the other hand, has a regular P200 million each year in pork barrel allotments called the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) while congressmen have P70 million each in pork barrel every year.
The President, through Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, boosted the PDAF of senators with additional P50 million to P100 million each through the hitherto unknown Development Acceleration Program (DAP) which became controversial because the money was reportedly a bribe for the conviction of then Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona during his impeachment trial.
The lawmakers’ PDAF which amounts to P25 billion each year became controversial when P10 billion of such funds reportedly were kited through non-government organizations with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform Health and the Social Development, among others, and several government agencies with businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles reportedly as mastermind.
The controversy led to the filing of plunder charges against former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former Senate President Protempore Jose Estrada and Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., who is perceived to be a possible presidential candidate in 2016.
Puno said he considers the People’s Initiative as the “last peaceful alternative” against government fund misuse.
 
He said the People’s Initiative provision was created primarily to “take the people out of the streets.”
The 1935 and 1973 Constitutions did not have such a provision which, according to him, is “the reserve power given to the sovereign people in 1989 by Republic Act 6735.”
“When EDSA [People Power Revolution] 1 came to pass, they expanded the direct sovereignty of the people. Congress now shares the power to enact laws with the people,” Puno said.
He first made the call for a People’s Initiative against pork barrel at the height of the controversy stirred by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
Since members of the Senate and the House of Representatives would not legislate measures that will run against their own interests, it was time for the people to enact a corrective law themselves through People’s Initiative.
The initiative, he added, should be used whenever Congress defaulted in enacting necessary laws or when legislators “betrayed public trust.”
Puno said he was merely reminding the public that they have a “lawmaking power that is not subject to presidential veto.”
But if the initiative fails either by the deliberate efforts of those who want to preserve the pork barrel or by sabotage, the specter of violence becomes a huge probability, he said.
“Kapag binara baka magkagulo [If this is stopped there may be chaos],” Puno said, hinting that there are certain sectors in the military that have become impatient and restive.
Asked if he thinks some people may be planning to take more drastic action when all else failed, he replied: “I would assume.”