The controversial community development fund, or the pork barrel, is not as bad as what most people see of it. You see, it is also useful. Take Senator Miriam Defensor for example, she uses her funds to purchase new hardware for the Philippine General Hospital. But some lawmakers’ funds are suspicious, such as Loren Legarda’s alleged involvement in the Ces Drilon Ransom Payment. She was reported to use a part of her pork to fund the ransom. However, these lawmakers should fund overlooked branches of the society. Such as the Coast Guards.
Now, its pretty unfair for the president to scold them for conducting slow investigations on sea tragedies. These guys receive a small amount of the DND budget. They could barely purchase more basic equipment such as flashlights, fast craft vessels and diving suits. How much more if modernization was the case? Senators get as much as P 100 M in pork, surely they could spare part of it and give the Coast Guards at least allowance for the purchase of petrol for their vessels. They should also purchase more basic equipments like diving suits and underwater flashlights. And the Government should find a way to add an Air Wing, like helicopters for example, for more effective retrieval operations.
So let this be an open letter to any lawmaker, if any of you guys might read this post I hope you consider in what I am asking you to do.
LOUIE ENCABO.com 