Buhay party-list Rep. Joselito Atienza on Sunday took a dig at Senator Panfilo Lacson for making sweeping statements about Congress’ insertions of pork barrel in the proposed 2020 P4.1-trillion national budget.
He said the senator must be fair to members of the House of Representatives as they did ot insert discretionary funds or pork barrel in the 2020 national budget.
“We are appealing to Senator Lacson, don’t assert that there is such. If you have any proof of this, I, as a committed anti-pork barrel legislator, will help you prevent it. You’re claiming P1.5-billion per deputy speaker and P700 million per legislator. I feel slighted. I am a legislator,” he added.
Atienza said that he was one of the lawmakers who fought against businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind behind the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.
“We fought Napoles’ pork in my first month in Congress, denouncing it even months before the Supreme Court decision. Like you, we are also committed to reforming our legislative processes. You insist that there is pork barrel when you have not even read it. I have not even read it either,” he said.
Lacson earlier said members of the House of Representatives would get P700 million in allocations under the 2020 P4.1-trillion budget.
Congress approved the national budget on Sept. 20 and transmitted it to the Senate on October.
“Let’s provide each other information so that we can coordinate. I do mind when Congress is accused in a blanket manner. People are unnecessarily alarmed without reason. It is not fair for those who are trying their best to perform their patriotic task,” the party-list lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, House committee public accounts chairperson, said the House leadership is calling on Senate President Vicente Sotto III to ensure that all senators would observe the time-honored inter-parliamentary courtesy during the continued budget discussions, “especially against the spread of gossips and fake news.”
He said gossips and fake news are not part of their legislative work.
“Our only collective request is that we avoid purveying fake news and rumors during budget discussions. In this manner, intelligent and relevant discussions can be achieved by both chambers,” he said.