WHERE DID THE PUBLIC’S WEALTH GO?

WHERE DID THE PUBLIC’S WEALTH GO?
(Pork barrel funds used to support NPA-initiated insurgencies)

LAWMAKERS colluding with politicians and people identified with the extreme left and right are using millions of pesos in state funds to topple the government, a recent study says. The plotters include politicians in power or vying for power, the communist umbrella group National Democratic Front (NDF), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA), and people identified with the extreme right.

The study was made by the Ateneo-based Center for Strategic Studies led by Jesuit priest Fr. Romeo Intengan, former provincial superior of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus.

According to the study, the widespread collusion financed the election of party-list candidates and provided legal cover to their people, organizations and activities. The conspiracy provided financial and logistical support such as firearms and ammunition, motor vehicles, food, medicine, communications equipment, audiovisual and printed campaign materials, computers and office rental.

The study says that among the party list groups controlled or heavily influenced by the CPP-NPA-NDF are Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, among others. Bayan Muna obtained three seats, Anakpawis two, and Gabriela one. Therefore, each elected representative is entitled to P70 million in pork barrel funds each year, so this means the six party-list representatives collect P420 million in pork barrel funds each year of their term-money they could use to help finance the insurgents.

Information further disclosed that firearms and ammunition and other forms of support they give to the CPP deal injury and death to all their targets. Once elected, they use government funds in the tens of millions of pesos each year to support the politico-military effort of the CPP-NPA-NDF. It had also blamed Party List Law which caused heavy rebounding and resumption of “legally deceptive” communist personalities.

THE OBVIOUS LIES

This is no secret: the pro-Sison wing of the local communist movement poured in a number of its legally-inclined communist felons in the congress through party list vehicles apart from Bayan Muna.

It is an obvious move indeed that the CPP-NPA’s objective, having aligned its legal batteries in the congress, is to grab and topple down state power, not to mention that these congress people colluding with the Reds dominate the lower house. Such an alarming scenario gives them the opportunity to show their demagoguery and attract media mileage. They will also have greater access to pork barrel funds and have the implied authority to harass government functionaries through congressional hearings convened for any purpose under the sun.

It could be recalled that a few years back, Red’s cronies in the lower house were investigated regarding their alleged pork barrels expenditures used for CPP’s underground movement. Such a fiasco created a shrill response from the leaders of the pro-CPP party-list groups. Records from the Department of Budget and Management showed that Ocampo's pork barrel funds were released in tranches of P2.2 million, P4 million, P4 million, P5.3 million, P2.1 million, P317,000, P200,000, P800,000, P500,000 and P500,000. Akbayan Representative Etta Rosales received P10.3 million and, later, P500,000 and P15 million, while Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño got tranches of P493,000, P2.6 million, P5.9 million, P4.7 million, P835,000, P3250,000, P200,000 and P200,000, he said. Gabriela Representative Liza Maza allegedly got tranches of P5 million, P10 million, P2.5 million and P12.5 million; and Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano, P5 million, P10 million, P12.5 million, P4.5 million and P4.4 million.

Amid these allegations, Bayan Muna and other left-leaning groups did not do what might seem to be the most obvious thing to do: lay bare, in the most transparent manner possible, exactly where the three representatives of that group spent their pork barrel funds. The masses which they represent couldn’t see tangible projects implemented, neither have these Reds’ Congressmen made to public their accomplishments, more so with their financial reports.
These are what power-grabbers intend to do: establish authority and impair our democratic system.

Time and again, OCAMPO et al denied “participation and collusion” with the Reds as well as spending people’s wealth for their revolutionary cause. But, have we heard any single word from these Representatives denouncing all the election-inspired violence that is being perpetrated by NPA guerrillas? Shouldn’t Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis and their other clones in the party-list arena bear the responsibility for making representations with their comrades in the CPP-NPA, asking the armed communist cadres to stop the slaughter of candidates and the blatant extortion that is going on in the countryside?

CORRUPTING THE ELECTORAL RIGHTS

The very essence of a democratic country such as ours is for the people to be given freedom in choosing the leaders who will take charge of our future through elections. Such is a duly constituted and sacred event that has been included to every individual’s rights. But the failure to express such a freedom would mean emergence of tyrants who will loot our basic human rights and liberty.

The recent emergence of MAKABAYAN – a merger of left leaning party-list groups with personalities composed of Representatives Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Liza Maza is the realization of every Juan Dela Cruz’s nightmare. They are JOMA’s cronies whose ulterior objective is to destroy our country’s democratic fibers and establish communism.

We already knew what “political drama” they are in to: they are our Congressmen fond of street actions using the peoples’ money in supporting concerted actions against the State. They are using their positions and our own money to destroy our own country just to push their personal tyrannical agenda. They are but noisy killers that completely decay our democratic foundations. It’s time to put an end to their demonic ambitions and let our voices be heard in 2010 elections. We must falter to guard our democracy and preserve our freedom; and we shall continue the battle against communism.