PRESS STATEMENT of former REP. MA. RACHEL J.

ARENAS September 1, 2013 Reference: Ida Evangelista Media Relations Officer of Rep. Rachel Arenas Contact no.: 09188274466 Just the other day, a news report entitled Pangasinan Pork reaches Manila appeared in one of the leading dailies. This article is malicious, bereft of pertinent facts and information and intended to malign my reputation in the guise of a simple news story. While the story stated verifiable information about the usage of my Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF), the report failed to mention the reason why part of my allocation was used in several projects in the 5th District of Manila, Compostela Valley and Abra. Unknown to many, it is a common practice among lawmakers to exchange or trade funds allocated for soft projects -- fertilizers, seeds, medicines, medical kits, dentures, training materials, sponsorship of sports leagues, scholarships and the like -- for hard projects such as infrastructure. There are lawmakers who prefer soft projects, while others, like myself, prefer hard projects which were then more beneficial for my district, and aimed to hasten development and and uplift the living conditions of my constituents. A thorough review of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website will show that the P10 million which I allocated for several projects in the 5th District of Manila was replaced by its representative, Amado Bagatsing with two infrastructure projects of the same value in Malasiqui. In Abra, Lone District Rep. Ma. Jocelyn Bernos funded a P5-million dredging project in Santa Barbara in 2012 in return for the P5 million that I allocated for different road rehabilitation projects in her province. In 2013, I allocated P10 million from my PDAF for several projects in the 1st District of Compostela Valley, which was matched by Rep. Ma. Carmen Zamora with the same amount of infrastructure projects in San Carlos and Malasiqui. This year, another P10 million has been allotted for the 5th District of Manila, which I expect to be matched by Rep. Bagatsing before the year ends. The swapping PDAF allocation is just one of the means by which big districts, such as ours, are able to maximize the limited PDAF allocation. This allocation is generally the same for all districts regardless of the size. During my term, I saw to it that every transaction involving my PDAF was transparent and used solely to benefit my constituents. We all share the need to work towards unprecedented transparency in government service, in our eagerness to make this a full reality, I also urge concerned agencies to take greater responsibility in publishing their reports and somehow ensure that the facts presented are not taken out of context but also reflect the truth behind their reports. This issue of trading allocations, for instance, should have been taken into account and possibly an addendum to the report instead of encouraging speculation or insinuations that could be very damaging to an individual especially public servants. I therefore strongly urge the development of a

better documentation and reporting system so that these reports contain more accurate information and are thus reported fairly. (30)