DBM: 38 lawmakers given P8.8B from DAP

(Malacanang stock photo)

MANILA – Former Cavite Rep. and now Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya and Teofisto Guingona II were identified by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as the top recipient of Malacañang’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Abaya tops the House of Representatives list while Guingona tops the senate list with P408 and P360.51 million respectively.

In a list released by Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, DBM has also identified 22 senators and 116 representatives, mostly members of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) and administration allies, who received funds amounting to P8.8 billion, between 2011 and 2013.

The list was provided by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr. and was also posted on the website of the agency.

Tiangco however said that the list was still P1.2 billion to P2.2 billion short of the estimated P10 billion to P11 billion worth of DAP funds allegedly given to lawmakers.

He also added that they still cannot identify some details on the funds since the information is still incomplete.

“We cannot conclude who got what and who got the biggest (allocations). We don’t have the complete data. But based on this incomplete information, a pattern is emerging that it pays to be friends with the administration,” he said.

Based on the list, top recipients of the funds are all members of the Liberal Party, the administration’s party including:

Former Cavite Rep. and now Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya (P408 million) who is also LP president; Speaker and LP vice chair Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (P297.487 million); Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II (P263 million); former Cavite Rep. Erineo “Ayong” Saquilayan Maliksi (P217.894 million); former An-Waray Rep. Florencio “Bem” Noel (P179.5 million) who ran under LP in his futile bid for Tacloban mayor in 2013;

Deputy Speaker and Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad (P176.619 million) who is also the wife of the Budget Secretary and LP campaign strategist; former Laguna Rep. Edgar San Luis (P160.209 million); former Cebu Rep. Tomas Osmeña (P124.124 million); former Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III (P120.581 million); and former Batangas Rep. Nelso Collantes (P110 million).

In the Senate, the top 10 biggest recipients were Teofisto Guingona II with P360.51 million; Francis Pangilinan, P310.841 million; Aquilino Pimentel III, P258.100 million; Loren Legarda, P250 million; Juan Ponce Enrile, P249 million; Gregorio Honasan II, P238 million; Francis Escudero, P235.5 million; Ralph Recto, P233.17 million; Vicente Sotto III, P214 million; Franklin Drilon, P197.11 million.

The other senators who reportedly received DAP funds were Pia Cayetano with P175.676 million; Alan Peter Cayetano, P159.999 million; Edgardo Angara, P153.9 million; Ramon Revilla Jr., P115 million; Sergio Osmeña III, P111.75 million; Antonio Trillanes IV, P100 million; Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos” Jr., P100 million; Miriam Defensor Santiago, P100 million; Jinggoy Estrada, P96.75 million; Manuel “Lito” Lapid, P65 million; Manuel Villar, P44 million; and Joker Arroyo, P17 million.