Pork is bad for people’s health

The health sector denounced today Malacañang’s crass attempts to resurrect the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in a different form. Reacting from information that President Aquino ordered the rechanneling of the legislators’ pork barrel to agencies such as the health, education, social work, and the public works departments, the group said this re-allocation “does not remove Congressmen and Senators’ discretion over the amounts to be released and to which sector it will be given.”

“PDAF by any other name and by any other form will remain the bailiwick of corruption and endlessly feed a very dirty patronage politics,” said Dr. Delen dela Paz, co-convener of the health sector’s Rx: Abolish Pork Barrel System! Movement.

The group concluded that the new mechanism is misleading and deceptive. Likewise, the group questioned President Aquino’s moral ascendancy to mouth PDAF abolition when he himself refuses to abolish his own “presidential pork barrel” or the President’s Social Fund (PSF).

The group slammed Malacañang’s argument that the PSF was audited and never misused saying the statements are “utterly pretentious and clearly indicates double standard.” “How can he [President Aquino] stomach such lies? Very recently, the Senate probe revealed that P100 million from the president’s P72.11 billion stimulus funds went to bogus NGOs linked with the pork barrel scam.”

Pork barrel is dangerous to people’s health. Dela Paz cited a research done by Council for Health and Development, an organization of community based health programs in the Philippines, the P10 billion pork barrel scam linked with Janet Napoles could fund:

• The salary of 16,667 doctors or 33,333 nurses in rural areas for one year.
• Fund the treatment of 2.5 million Tuberculosis patients.
• Pay for anti-retroviral treatment of 55,556 HIV/AIDS patients for one year.
• Treat 1.25 million Dengue patients.
• Provide vaccines to 12 million babies.
• Twice the budget for the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center.

“Our call is clear. Abolish the pork barrel system, prosecute all guilty parties including all conniving senators, congressmen, other public officials and bogus NGOs, and allocate pork barrel funds directly to health and other basic social services.”##

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Reference:
Dr. Delen dela Paz
0927-9259413/(02)929-8109
Co-convenor, Rx: Abolish Pork Barrel System! Movement