Pork Barrel Essay

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Pork Barrel is the division of the national budget that is extensively left to the legislators’ responsibility when it comes to how the funds are spent. The funds account for a little over 1% of the national budget. A congressman gets to allocate P70 million in pork barrel funds each year while a senator gets P200 million. These priority projects and programs may be in the form of “hard” projects or infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, school buildings, etc. Pork barrel funds may also be allocated for “soft,” non-infrastructure projects that are more in the vein of financial assistance like scholarships and livelihood programs. Legislators can pick from the following projects: * Education- e.g. scholarships * Health – e.g. financial assistance to indigent patients, purchase of medical equipment * Livelihood/ social services * Rural electrification * Water Supply – e.g. construction of water system, installation of pipes/pumps/tanks * Financial assistance – for specific programs and projects of LGUs * Public works – e.g. roads, bridges, flood control, school buildings, hospitals, health facilities, public markets, multi-purpose buildings and pavements * Irrigation * Peace and order – purchase of fire trucks and firefighting equipment, patrol vehicles, prisoners’, vans, multicabs, police patrol equipment, construction/repair of fire stations, police stations, jails * Housing * Forest management * Arts and culture For congressman, funds are split such that P30 million of each House member’s pork barrel are for “soft” programs and the remaining P40 million are for “hard” programs. OPINION Pork Barrel is the senators’ personal responsibility. They cannot just plead that other agencies have been created for the sole purpose of checking NGOs. They should punish those who misuse the pork barrel.

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