Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Ever wonder why many are dying to become senators?
Philippine
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago posed this question during an
interview with Radyo Inquirer Wednesday after Senate President Juan
Ponce Enrile reportedly played Santa Claus last Christmas, giving gifts
using so-called "savings" that she said had become the "grandmama of all
scandals."
She then proceeded to outline why nothing beats being a senator.
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Imagine
a yearly pork barrel of 200 million pesos (US$4.9 million), 2.2 million
pesos monthly for staff salaries and office expenses, a 500,000 pesos
annual travel allowance and an honorarium that ranges between 30,000 to
60,000 pesos a month as chair of a Senate committee.
And don't forget the regular monthly salary of 75,000 pesos.
An
unscrupulous senator can simply make it appear that he or she is using
all these perks legitimately and then pocket these. Here is where
Santiago wants the Commission on Audit (COA) to come in.
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Santiago
asked COA Chairperson Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan to instruct auditors
assigned to the Senate and the House of Representatives to examine and
audit so-called "savings" or "secret funds" available to the Senate
President, House Speaker, and other heads of offices, to ensure
transparency.
Santiago's revelations followed Enrile's supposedly
selective release of a total of 1.618 million pesos in two tranches as
additional "maintenance and other operating expenditures" (MOOE) to each
of her 18 colleagues from "savings" of the chamber in 2012. Four other
senators Enrile wasn't exactly fond of-Santiago included-got 250,000
pesos each.
Nat'l scandal
"The so-called
savings of each public office have turned into a national scandal, the
grandmama of all scandals. The Constitution allows savings to be used by
the office at the end of the year. But in reality, the head of office
manipulates the books and creates so-called savings by refusing to fill
up vacancies, or refusing to buy essential office supplies or services,
or capital equipment. These so-called 'enforced savings' are then
distributed among the highest officials, in the guise of Christmas
bonuses," Santiago explained.
In many cases, the COA auditor
usually accommodates the "enforced savings" ordered by the head of
office, because COA auditors are often afraid of politicians, or the COA
auditors themselves share in the "enforced savings," she said.
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"I
challenge the COA to reveal to the public the total income annually of
every senator and every representative. This total income should include
basic salary, Christmas and other bonuses, monthly honoraria for
committee work, monthly appropriation to be spent at the senator's
discretion for staff salaries and for MOOE, appropriations for
consultants, foreign travel funds, etc.," she said.
Members of each Senate committee are also given an allowance, but she did not give a specific amount.
"That's
why some of my colleagues become members of so many committees," she
noted. "This amount is given whether or not you attend the hearings
conducted by the committee."
The same policy holds true for the
500,000 pesos travel allowance. "We are given that every year, whether
we use it or not. It is for official trips such as those to
international conferences. But even if you don't leave, you still get
that," she said.
Biggest perk
The biggest perk, however, remains the 200 million pesos pork barrel, or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Santiago
recalled that when she was still a newbie senator in 1995, she was
approached by a contractor who guaranteed her a "clean" 10-percent
kickback from her pork-funded infrastructure projects.
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She
calculated that during a six-year term, a senator can earn 120 million
pesos from kickbacks, enough to jumpstart a reelection bid.
"One who wants big money should run for senator," Santiago said.
As
for Enrile's "gift," Santiago said she sent it back to the Senate
President because he had returned her gift of biscuits to him.
"You don't like my biscuit, I also don't like your money," was how she explained it.
A report by Fe Zamora.
