PIGLASAPAT

1 POST SCRIPT: DISBURSEMENT ACCELERATION PROGRAM (DAP)

The Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) a stimulus package under Aquino administration
designed to fast-track public spending and push economic growth was declared
unconstitutional on July 2, 2014.
1

Whilst the government claimed that this Program was used to sustain the pace of public
spending as a mean for economic expansion
2
, critics and analysts say that this is President
Aquinos way of rewarding those who voted Yes for the conviction of the once-Chief Justice
Renato Corona.
3

PIGLASAPAT actually is as skeptic as the critics of the administration, and we subscribe to the
same accusation that detractors indict that DAP is a form of bribery to those senators who
vote for the conviction of the Gloria Arroyo-appointed Chief Justice. With that reason and
more, we are elated with the decision rendered by the Supreme Court, and consider it a
landmark pronouncement that underscores our governments seriousness in valuing
Accountability.
Meanwhile, justice is only strip-teasing, and we, in PIGLASAPAT wants a bare-all, sustainable,
uprightness. We are for the Office of Ombudsman and the Commission on Audits thorough
investigation of the twenty (20) senators (or more) who may have misused 1.1B++ pesos for
projects that may not be existing or overly priced. It is not impossible, we believe that there
may be anomalies happening in conduct of this governments stimulus package. Just as how
easy it was for some legislators to allegedly misappropriate money from PDAF, it would
nevertheless be equally effortless for some executive and legislative officials to embezzle
money---again--and again. So we call for a more intensive investigation to those legislators who
benefited the DAP.
However, DAP, and even the infamous Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), are only
some of the many tools the government use to accentuate patronage politics and cloth
corruption with formality and legality.
According to Former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting
(GPB) is a form of Pork Barrel under the supervision of DILG Secertary Mar Roxas. Ideally, Civil
Society Organizations and other Organizations working closely with DILG can pinpoint the kind

1
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/615833/sc-declares-dap-unconstitutional-source
2
http://www.gov.ph/2013/10/07/qa-on-the-disbursement-acceleration-program/ What was the context when
DAP was introduced?
3
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/90277/miriam-hails-ruling-on-dap-pushes-probe-of-bribery-in-corona-trial
of project needed. The fund used to finance the grassroot-level project is from GPB.
4
Though
GPB is part of the General Appropriations Act on 2014, meaning, it passed the scrutiny and
deliberation of the Legislative, the best we can do is to be watch guards of our public officials
expenditure levels and priority programs.
Furthermore, the Judicial Development Fund (JDF), a special fund established through
Presidential Decree No. 1949 signed by President Marcos on 1984 is also said to be the Pork
Barrel of the Judiciary. Practically, according to Theodore Te, Spokesperson of the Supreme
Court, the JDF is to help ensure and guarantee the independence (financial) of the Judiciary as
mandated by the constitution and public policy. The fund is sourced from, among others, the
legal fees collected from courts and be used to augment allowances of the members and
personnel of the Judiciary and to finance the maintenance of their offices. The Supreme Court
Chief Justice is given the exclusive power to authorize its disbursements.
5

The GPB and the JDF are some funds, not totally discretionary in nature, that are specially
allotted for some offices in the government. These, too require thorough monitoring from the
Commission on Audit to assure that accountability is best underlined in every governmental
function.
Meanwhile, PIGLASAPAT shall keep constant updates to the many issues, updates that may
come about, and surely will do its best in making a stand, and informing the Ateneans of its
developments.
For now, DAP and PDAF are declared unconstitutional. We hope that in substance, both
discretionary funds are eliminated in the government budgeting for goodnot just renamed, or
repackaged.

Let us all be informed, Ateneans.

Serbisyong Tapat. PIGLASAPAT.






4
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/209744/balitanghali/diokno-pondong-ginagamit-ni-dilg-sec-mar-
roxas-mula-sa-pdaf
5
http://www.up.edu.ph/the-judiciary-development-fund/