ANGRY FILIPINOS have planned a million-man march for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), that fancy name for the pork barrel, at the Luneta Grandstand on August 26, 2013.
The March comes in the wake of reports that at least P10 billion in pork barrel funds had been pocketed by legislators and fake non governmental organizations, and a report by the Commission on Audit on wasteful, inefficient, and questionable spending of the funds.
The March also may (or may not be) the culmination of a long series of frustrating actions, both legal and otherwise, against the pork barrel.
But the sad truth is that the legal existence of the pork barrel has long been a persistent battleground between those who enjoy its largesse, and those who see the corruption it breeds. In at least three separate occasions, the legal nature of the pork barrel has been questioned before the Supreme Court.
For today’s DATA A DAY:
TRUE OR FALSE: The Supreme Court has ruled on the constitutionality of the pork barrel funds.
For the answer to today’s Data a Day, just check the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online website, or go straight to this link.