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PEOPLE
are scrounging for funds—for food, fuel, basic needs.
So, what do they expect from their congressmen? What the
people want is good performance from legislators, and
not “cosmetics,” according to party-list Rep. Liza Maza
of Gabriela.
On
Wednesday, she joined her colleagues in assailing the
House leadership for prioritizing the multimillion-peso
renovation of the Batasan Complex main building and
adjacent structures while the country is facing national
crises brought about by the larger world crises in oil
and food.
“The
renovation is questionable. The budget for it could have
been used for other important purposes,” said Maza in a
news forum in Quezon City on Wednesday.
Speaker
Prospero Nograles denied claims, however, that the
budget for the face-lifting was P200 million. He pledged
to present the final report on the project, which he
added was long overdue and had been budgeted even before
the crises occurred. Sources said the project was
approved during the time of his predecessor, Speaker
Jose de Venecia.
So what
is the actual amount set in the face-lifting budget?
Nograles did not say. He just estimated the cost to be
about P70 million to P90 million.
On
Monday, many legislators accused the House leadership of
insensitivity for prioritizing such project in the wake
of the country’s worst economic crunch in two decades.
They
said the money could have been used to feed thousands of
Filipinos badly affected by the food crisis or, at
least, help the people in areas devastated by the recent
Typhoon Frank. Worse, it came at a time when inflation
was at 11.4 percent, the highest in 14 years.
“The
people are not after the beautiful façade of Congress
but for the performance of the lawmakers in swiftly
enacting important pieces of legislation. There are more
important things like speeding up the processing of
bills. The people do not need a beautiful Congress
building if it does not help in legislating laws,” said
Maza at Wednesday’s forum.
Maza
wondered aloud why the budget for the beautification
“had been easily approved and released” when, often, the
legislators’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF),
or pork-barrel funds, particularly those of the
“perceived enemies” of the administration, is “held
hostage,” resulting in the delay in the delivery of
basic services to constituents of nonadministration
allies.
She said
that if the government fails to release the PDAF on
time, it is better scrapped since it is only becoming
the source of graft and corruption.
Maza
proposed that the PDAF be diverted to the
poverty-alleviation programs of the government in order
to ensure enough affordable food and lessen the burden
of the people.
“I do
not know whether the Speaker has acquired an edifice
complex or not, but what I am sure of is this is
insensitivity at its crescendo,” independent Rep. Carlos
Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya said earlier.
Before
the major face-lifting of the main building and several
offices, rest-
rooms at the House underwent a major overhaul with all
tiles and toilet fixtures, including bowls, urinals and
lavatories, replaced even though they were still working
properly.
Liberal
Party Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon of Muntinlupa agreed.
“This renovation can wait. Other than the immediate
concerns of the people, we at the House also have our
concerns which the leadership could have prioritized.”
Meanwhile, Party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis
said the renovation was obviously in preparation for the
President’s State of the Nation Address. |
