The proposed 2019 national budget are laden with billions of pork barrel or the so-called Priority Development Assistance Fund which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Despite the SC ruling on pork barrel, Lacson said that it has remained in the national budget. He believes pork barrel will remain unless there is a very strong President who can put an end to it.
However, he also admitted it would be very difficult for a President to absolutely stop pork barrel because the House of Representatives, with one-third of its members, can impeach him.
“I think the way to deal with this is to deal with them individually. Starting from the most notorious. If this would start with the most notoriously corrupt, the latter might no longer have an ally,” he said.
In openly objecting to the budget cuts in the 2019 national budget recommended by the Department of Budget and Management, Lacson noted that House members had pork barrel insertions.