Priority Development Assistance Fund
"Pork Barrel"
Basically, pork barrel is a fund given to each member of the Congress that is to be spent on priority development projects of the Philippine government, especially on the local level. On July 12, 2013, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, a famous newspaper in the Philippines, exposed the pork barrel scam pointing to Janet Lim-Napoles as its mastermind. After the nation found out of this treacherous business, its citizens couldn't just stand there and do nothing because the estimated 10 billion pesos they took for themselves, came from the blood and sweat of the Filipinos. This barrel wasn't meant to roll into private pockets but rather it was meant to help cater to the needs of the people. The PDAF has not yet been abolished, but it was suspended in 2013.
CONS
The money given by the people for the people, went into the hands of the wrong types of people. Some officials use the pork barrel for themselves instead of using it for its real purpose. The tendency of humans to become greedy caused them to do such a thing. Fake receipts, ghost deliveries, Non-governmental organizations that don't even exist, etc., were used to make us believe that the money was being used properly. Corruption and dishonesty work in the minds of these eminent officials in order to trick us, the Filipino people, as well as their own colleagues.
PROS
After the PDAF was suspended, the people who actually benefited from it started to experience difficulties. Scholars who were aided by pork barrel felt hopeless, for they didn't know how they would be able to continue studying without the financial assistance they received. The PDAF was also used to help poor farmers and to pave roads and bridges. Some fail to remember that not all congressmen are corrupt and that this fund has actually helped a great number of people.
WHAT I THINK...
Personally and honestly, as much as I'm enraged by the dishonesty of some officials, I think that the PDAF or pork barrel should neither be suspended nor abolished. Maybe the congressmen and lawmakers who are given money to spend on projects need to list their reports --of where the money went and which project it launched or funded-- publicly so that the people can confirm whether or not this is true. Because if there really is an improvement, the people benefiting from these projects should be the first ones to notice. Also, the government should be more strict in verifying whether the reports of the congressmen are true. The problem before was that they usually overlooked reports because they didn't even think there was a possibility they were being scammed, or were probably part of the scam itself or too scared to expose them. (look how wrong of a choice that was, huh? 10 billion pesos is no laughing matter) Anyway, to sum it all up, we must all do our part to make the Philippines a better place. We need to be wise when given the opportunity to choose those who will lead us. We need to remember that honesty is an essential trait of a person to be given a high position.
