Ex-Rep. Arenas defends pork barrel swap
MALASIQUI—Former 3rd District Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas vehemently protested insinuations of corruption in the use of her pork barrel fund during her two terms in congress.
Arenas, who withdrew her candidacy for a third term in the May 2010 election and was replaced by her mother, disowned the number of “soft” projects in other provinces that gave rise to impressions that her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) project allotments were tainted with graft.
She explained that a number of her PDAF allotments were “swapped” with allotments of other congressmen.
“This is a common practice among lawmakers,” Arenas said. “There are lawmakers who prefer “soft” projects, while others, like me, prefer hard projects to help hasten the development of my district and uplift the living conditions of my constituents,” she clarified in in a statement posted in her Facebook account.
Soft projects include the purchase and distribution of resources such as fertilizers, seeds, and medical supplies while hard projects cover infrastructure development.
Reacting to a report published by a national daily, Arenas said the article was “malicious, bereft of pertinent facts and information and intended to malign my reputation.”
TRUTH
Arenas pointed out that while the story was based on verifiable information about the usage of her PDAF, it failed to mention why some of her allocation was used in several projects in the 5th District of Manila, Compostela Valley and Abra.
“As a matter of fact, swapping PDAF allocation is just one other means by which big districts, like ours, maximize the limited PDAF allocation, which is generally the same for all, regardless of the size of the district,” she said.
She said a thorough review of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website will show that the P10 million that she allocated for several projects in the 5th District of Manila was replaced by Rep. Amado Bagatsing with two infrastructure projects with the same value in Malasiqui, a town in her district.
In Abra, Rep. Ma. Jocelyn Bernos funded a P5-million dredging project in Santa Barbara in 2012 in return for the P5 million that Arenas allocated for different road rehabilitation in the former’s province.
In 2013, Arenas allocated P10 million from her PDAF for several projects in the 1st District of Compostela Valley, which was matched by 1st District Rep. Ma. Carmen Zamora with the same amount of infrastructure projects in San Carlos City and Malasiqui.
This year, Arenas allotted another P10 million for the 5th District of Manila, which she expects to be matched by Rep. Bagatsing before this year ends.
Arenas further said, “since we are working towards unprecedented transparency in government service, I urge concerned agencies to make sure that their reports reflect not just cold facts, but truths”.
She pointed out that reporting of traded allocations, unless clarified, can givbe the wrong impression so she urged the Department of Budget and Management to devise a more comprehensive reporting system.
Meanwhile, Arenas’ mother, Rep. Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas, said, “The bottom line is the 3rd District of Pangasinan did not lose any money or projects,” adding that PDAF transactions under her daughter’s “are legitimate exercises, all documented and verifiable”.
Arenas ran unopposed, a first in the district’s history.–Eva Visperas
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