Mambulao received P66.3 million in pork

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

A TOTAL of P66.3 million in pork barrel funding went to various infrastructure projects and socio-economic program in Mambulao during the years 2010-12, courtesy of the CamNorte provincial government.

This was revealed by the figures obtained by online news MWBuzz from the office of Governor Edgardo “Egay” Tallado.

Tallado said in a brief note that he sought the pork barrel funding from senators and congressmen during the past three years of his term that began in 2010.

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was the only Senate member mentioned in the report, who gave away P7 million to fund seven farm-to-market roads.

These FMR projects are in: 1) Bagong Bayan – P1 million; 2) Plaridel– P1 million; 3) Osmena– P1 million; 4) San Isidro – P1 million; 5) Sta Rosa Nore – P1 million; 6) Luklukan Sur – P1 million; and Luklukan Norte – P1 million.

One major road concreting project – the 2.8km Sta Rosa-San Rafael road – received a P20 million from the pork barrel of President Noynoy Aquino under the Office of the Presidential Affairs on Peace Process (OPAPP)

OPAPP also funded the concreting of the San Isidro-Sta Cruz FMR at a cost of P7 million.

In Parang, a 75m long seawall was being built at a cost of P4.9 million along the beach to protect the squatter shanties from surging waves during typhoons.

The first segment was completed last February and the second segment was to start shortly.

In 2011, the provincial government asphalted a 2,520m road linking Sta Rosa Norte and San Rafael for P10.9 million.

Pork barrel funding of P3.35 million also went to the rehabilitation of a washed out culvert concrete pipe and spillway in Barangay San Martin.

The Rural Health Unit in Mambulao was renovated and extended in 2011for P2.3 million.

In Barangay Motherlode, an evacuation center was built at a cost of P2.5 million.

Five covered courts were built for P5.7 million in baranggays Larap (P2.5 million), Dayhagan (P500,000), Jose Panganiban Elementary School South Poblacion (P700,000), Sta Rosa (P1 million), and Calero (P1 million).

In Sta Elena, a Senior Citizen’s hall was built for P500,000.

Aside from major public works, the provincial government also channeled a total of P2.45 million in pork money to assist barangay schools and various civic organizations during the three-year period from 2010.

Fire hydrants for South Poblacion were purchased by the provincial government at a cost of P59,504.

Tallado said he opted not to rely on the 20 percent development fund of the provincial government and instead sought funding assistance from the Office of the President, senators and congressmen.

The report also revealed that during the 2012-13 period it also spent a total of P93 million for concrete road building projects covering 12.65km in five baranggays that included San Rafael-Sta Rosa Norte FMR (2.55km); Tamisan FMR (2.55km); San Pedro FMR (2.86km); San Martin FMR (2.7km); and Tamisan-Sitio Pinoy, Kisahan-Sta Cruz FMR (2km).

However, the money for these on-going projects was not pork barrel fund but allocation from the Agrarian Reform Community Projects 2 of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

On the other hand, the Department of Agriculture has funded the concrete FMR project at Pag-asa at a cost of P5.5 million covering 690m and another FMR at Sta Cruz, also concrete, worth P5.5 million covering 650m.

The provincial government said that the P93 million road funding was allocated under the General Appropriations Act.

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