Disgusted over Congressmen

I'm appalled by the story below, that this administration gave monies to congressmen just to railroad this impeachment complaint. I am equally disgusted with the reason why these congressmen were given the monies. The Inquirer source said, it was a gift from the president because congressmen..worked hard and slept a little working on the budget. This is the most idiotic statement I have heard from years! These fat, pot-bellied government officials are supposed to work hard. We, the people, are paying them to work for us. They don't need to be given bonuses just because they slept a little.

And I am much disappointed with the first paragraph of this article. Imagine, this article tries to insulate the Speaker from this huge charade by saying that JDV was forced to "back off from an impeachment move" because the president showered these congressmen with money. How low can you get?

What's worst, the Inquirer source said that these amounts of 200,000 and 500,000 are "small" as "bribes" to back off from an impeachment complaint. They're really thick skinned people. These congressmen should be the first to get God's justice in due time.
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Pro-Arroyo lawmakers given gifts, pork pledge
By Christian V. Esguerra, Norman Bordadora, Michael Lim Ubac
Inquirer
Last updated 01:36am (Mla time) 10/12/2007
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines -- Battling for political survival for the third time in as many years, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday summoned loyal congressmen to Malacañang and, in a show of strength using “sendoff gifts,” forced Speaker Jose de Venecia to back off from an impeachment move.

Envelopes containing cash amounting to between P200,000 and P500,000 were handed out to congressmen at the meeting, along with promises of pork barrel amounting to millions of pesos, hours before administration lawmakers took action in the House of Representatives to protect Ms Arroyo from being impeached, several lawmakers present at the meeting told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Ms Arroyo herself called the unscheduled breakfast meeting with around 190 congressmen but some of the Inquirer informants said she was not around when the envelopes were supposedly distributed.

Malacañang dismissed the report as part of “political intrigue” and said that congressmen were “not for sale.”

The congressmen who confirmed the incident described the handouts variously as “a remembrance,” a “sendoff gift,” and “tulong” (help).

“All of them received P500,000,” a ranking member of the staff of one administration congressman said. “Some were floating P200,000 just so they can save when barangay officials start asking them for assistance.”

“The President was not there when the money was distributed, but congressmen got the message. They have to toe what Malacañang wants to happen as far as the impeachment is concerned,” he added.

Hard and soft

The source said that another matter relayed to the House members during the meeting was the distribution of their pork barrel worth P70 million.

“Before, it was 50 hard and 20 soft (P50 million for infrastructure and P20 million for funds assistance to local government units). Now, it’s 35 and 35,” the congressional source said. “Now, there’s more flexibility.”

In an interview with the Inquirer hours after the distribution of money, an administration lawmaker said the largesse came inside envelopes containing at least P200,000 in cash.

The amounts were distributed at the end of a breakfast meeting, the congressman said on condition of anonymity.

“They were distributed by the door as the congressmen were leaving,” he said.

Too small

But the source made it clear that the money was not meant to influence lawmakers on their decision in the impeachment complaint.

“You don’t kill an impeachment with that meager amount,” he said.

“It’s normal at the end of the session days for congressmen to be given tokens of remembrance,” the other lawmaker said.

“In this case, congressmen worked extended hours for the national budget. They slept very little. So it’s but natural for the party to make members feel that they are remembered.”

Help in the elections

Asked to comment on reports that the congressmen received promises of “pork barrel” before or after the Oct. 29 barangay elections, the source said the congressmen got no other pledge from the party leadership.

Another majority congressman confirmed the cash distribution, but said it was intended as “tulong” (help) for lawmakers for the upcoming barangay elections.

Asked about the reported “pork barrel” promise, a senior member of the ruling coalition gave different figures of the amounts promised: “The P15 million are for soft projects. The P20 million are for hard projects. We’ve been working for those since August. These are all for 2008.”

The senior congressman, like the other Inquirer sources, asked not to be identified given the sensitivity of the subject matter.

Soft projects are financial assistance to local government units and public institutions such as hospitals. Hard projects are those for infrastructure such as roads, bridges and classrooms.

Another meeting

The senior congressman denied receiving P200,000 to P500,000 to help barangay election candidates in the coming elections, saying he left the breakfast early.

“I don’t know anything about that,” the three-term lawmaker said.

“There was no need to tell anybody to support the referral of the impeachment complaint against the President because it was already agreed that it will no longer be the Speaker who will transmit the complaint,” the senior congressman said.

Malacañang summoned administration lawmakers to breakfast at 8 a.m.

Ms Arroyo showed up around 30 minutes later, but delivered no speech, according to one Inquirer informant.

Another lawmaker also from the majority said another gathering was scheduled last night in Malacañang “for those who failed to attend the breakfast.”

“I got an invitation,” he told the Inquirer.

Just a social

Another administration lawmaker, who was also present during the breakfast, said the occasion was largely a “social gathering” for legislators before they took their semestral break.

But the source said his colleagues repeatedly harped on the idea that the elections were near and they needed money.

“Maraming nagpaparinig,” the source said. “Magastos daw.”

One of the Inquirer sources said a congressman needed at least P3 million to help finance youth and barangay candidates in the coming polls. In his district alone, he said he needed at least P1 million on the premise that each of his candidates was to be given P1,000.

One congressman admitted by phone that envelopes were passed during the meeting but said it contained only “a token (amount).”

He explained that the money would go to barangay officials who would have to run for reelection in the barangay polls this month.

No SAROs released

But the lawmaker, who belongs to the inner circle of the House leadership, denied that special allotment release orders (SAROs) were released.

“I don’t think so,” the congressman said, stressing that he himself was surprised that pork barrel allocations were not distributed by Malacañang.

“This is the first time in six years that they did not give anything on the last day of the session of Congress,” the lawmaker said. “Usually, SAROs are handed out during this time.”

The congressman suspected that Ms Arroyo was stopping the scheduled release of SAROs as a leverage against House members on the issue of the impeachment complaint.

Pulling the strings

“It’s coming,” the lawmaker said, stressing that Malacañang had the penchant for using the pork barrel entitlements to keep lawmakers toeing the administration line.

The lawmaker sees Malacañang’s hands “pulling the strings to oust” the Speaker.

“Let’s see who will win in the end. They can’t just unseat Speaker De Venecia,” the congressman said.

Former House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles neither confirmed nor denied the reported release of SAROs when reached by phone late Thursday.

“Releases, if any, of our legislative and our district entitlements for our people are not in any way impeachment-connected. Fact is that they are long overdue for our priority projects listed by congressmen,” said Nograles.

Presidential Management Staff Chief Cerge Remonde said he was not present during the breakfast meeting, “but I don’t think that the Palace will go down to that level.”

He said the unfounded reports were part of the “political intrigues that are no longer news.”

Not for sale

Remonde said: “The congressmen are not for sale, and for that matter the entire Congress of the Philippines.”

“The President is confident that any impeachment attempt will collapse under its own lack of weight,” Remonde said.