MikeLigalig.com

Supreme Court slays PDAF

14-0 ruling big blow to patronage politics

By Christine O. Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Wednesday, November 20th, 2013



In a landmark decision that could spell the end of political patronage, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional past and present congressional pork barrel laws as it ordered the criminal prosecution of individuals who had benefited from the schemes over the past two decades.

The high court, voting 14-0-1, also struck down the discretionary provisions granted the President in the use of multibillion-peso oil revenues from the Malampaya Fund and the Presidential Social Fundâ€"the government share of revenues from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

In declaring unconstitutional the provisions on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2013 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and its earlier incarnation, the 1990 Countrywide Development Fund (CDF), the high tribunal held that these arrangements violated the principle of separation of powers.

Reversing itself after thrice upholding the legality of the lawmakers’ pork barrel, the court said that this time it simply “allowed legislators to wield, in varying gradations, nonoversight, postenactment authority in vital areas of budget execution” and denied the President the power to veto items in the GAA.

The ruling was issued four months after the Inquirer broke the story that P10 billion in allocations from the PDAF and the Malampaya Fund meant to ease rural poverty and the plight of storm victims over the past 10 years had gone to ghost projects and massive kickbacks.


Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/530687/supreme-court-slays-pdaf#ixzz2lD1Kyr1g

to understand better the implications of this supreme court ruling, the opinion of jesuit constitutionalist fr joaquin bernas, sj, is a great guide.

SC decision restores normal constitutional order
By Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas S. J.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Wednesday, November 20th, 2013

http://opinion.inquirer.net/65733/sc-decision-restores-normal-constitutional-order#ixzz2lD4CIbZS

Lagi pero pulihan dajog lain bill nga mo supplement sa lain napong budget sa mga Senatong ug Tongressmen

Ni file naman gani si Sen Drillon ba to

Labon di mo file ug bill tabang bangon sa Bohol ug Leyte