PDAF Argumentative Paper

Say Yes to Pork and No to Corruption The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), better known as “Pork Barrel” is a public fund regularly distributed among the members of the congress to cater to the legislators’ local projects for the development of their particular communities. The “Pork Barrel Scam” is currently a sensitive and obfuscated issue in our country as Pork Barrel is a frequent target for critics who say that it facilitates corruption. They say it makes it easier for politicians to divert money into their own pockets, and perpetuates the patronage politics that has kept the Philippines from progressing. I will not anymore be surprised if many other anomalies will soon be discovered about the allocation of Pork Barrel. With the help of the investigative documents and the media’s documentations, we discover that clearly, the corrupt legislators and their accomplices in the private sector succumb themselves in funds that is supposed to only be allotted for the benefit of a locality. However, with all the issues attached to this controversial funding, can we really say that PDAF is an “evil” fund? So, the ultimate question then is this: Should the Pork Barrel be abolished or not? Personally, I do not see anything detrimental about the allocation Pork Barrel. In fact, the distribution of the said funds is being provided for the benefit of a certain community – which is a good notion. However, the problem in our country is that, the legislators themselves are the ones corrupt. As Miriam Defensor – Santiago quoted, “[Pork Barrel are the senators'] personal responsibility. You cannot just plead that other agencies have been created for the sole purpose of checking those NGOs [who have been given Pork Barrel funds]. That is such a lame excuse. It’s an evasion of responsibility.” There are those who treat the PDAF as their own private fund, to use as they please. This is clearly wrong: What is involved here is the people’s money; it should be used