Congress Is The Philippines' Biggest Criminal Syndicate - The Manila Times Online

Congress is the Philippines biggest criminal syndicate
August 20, 2013 1:24 am

by TONY LOPEZ
VIRTUAL REALITY
The biggest criminal syndicate in the Philippines is not any of those crime groups listed regularly
by the Philippine National Police. It is Congress.
As a syndicate, Congress is really massive24 senators and 289 congressmen. This group of
con men and women help themselves with money called the Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAP) to the tune of P25 billion, if not more, a year. The simple word for PDAF is pork
barrel.
In ancient times, the term referred to a barrel of goodies larded with pork so it becomes greasy
and difficult for those trying to grab it. Slaves competed to get the barrel. I suppose applying lard
around the barrel was the equivalent of leveling the playing field.
In todays parlance, pork barrel has become billions of pesos. It is grease money so that our
congressmen and senatorsour slaves or public servantsdo their work. Instead, these senators
and congressmen have become our mastersveritable Mafia bosses who keep driving us citizens
to greater penury, misery and economic enslavement.
The senators and congressmen come from no more than 70 familiesour dynasties and political
elite.
Since we have had a Congress for the past 83 years and nothing has happened to the Philippines
in terms of greater income equality, substantial job creation (12 million Filipinos today are
either jobless or underemployed), massive reduction in poverty (China, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Azerbaijan have proved that you can reduce poverty by 90 percent in just ten years), one can
argue that you can eliminate our Congress and it wont make a difference to the lives of ordinary
Filipinos. In fact, my life, your life, our lives could be better.
Imagine the savings if Congress did not exist. We already have more than 15,000 laws, anyway,
one law for every active lawyer we have in this country. And more laws than we probably need
in a lifetime. Any act of man, and sometimes, even acts of God, are already covered by an
existing law.
Our Congress is there just to pursue its criminal operation, a plunder of mind-boggling scale and
gall. To paraphrase a famous quote of President BS Aquino in his last State of the Nation:
Where do these people get the thick skin of their faces?
The rate of plunder is P200 million per year per senator, the pork barrel allowance. Multiply that
by six yearsthe term of a senator, and the amount becomes truly gargantuanP1.2 billion.
Multiply that by twothe allowable maximum terms of a senator and the amount becomes even
more gargantuan, P2.4 billion. There are 24 senators so the entire loot amounts to P4.8 billion
per year. Or P28.8 billion in six years.
In some cases, there are siblings among the senators, so a single familyout of the 22 million
(million) families in the Philippinestakes away P5.8 billion in 12 years. This P5.8 billion is an
amount far more than what all of the more 300,000 small and medium enterprises can make in
their entire corporate life.
The rate per congressman is P70 million per year or P210 million in three years (the one term of
a congressman). Congressmen are allowed three consecutive terms or nine years. So multiply
P70 million by nine years and you get P630 millionper congressmen.
There are 289 congressmen so the total loot in a year is P20.23 billion. Add the senators loot of
P4.8 billion and you get P25.03 billion for the entire Congress. Per year.
For the years 2007 to 2009, our Commission on Audit conducted an audit on the PDAF and socalled Various Infrastructures, including Local Projects (VILP). PDAF is for so-called soft
projects like education, health, livelihood, social services, financial assistance to address propoor programs, peace and order, culture and the arts. VILP is the hard portion or public works.
VILP is why its more funrather, fundin Congress.
In the COA audit for 2007 to 2009, those who participated in the plunder involved three cabinet
ministriesDepartment of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the
Department of Social Welfare and Development.
DA has become synonymous with hunger (4.9 million Filipino families or 25 million Filipinos
had nothing to eat at one time in the last three months, according to the Social Weather Stations).
DPWH has become synonymous with highway robbery the kind perpetrated by our senators
and congressmen. And the social welfare of DSWD could as well stand for private welfare of
our 70 elite political families.
Aside from the three cabinet departments, also involved in the massive looting of taxpayers
money were four government corporationsTechnology and Livelihood Resource Center
(TLRC), National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC), National Agribusiness Corp.
(NABCor), and Zamboanga del Norte Agricultural College Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC).
Plus five provincial governmentsTarlac, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Compostela Valley and Davao
Oriental; and eight city governmentsMandaluyong City, Manila (including 12 barangay), Las
Pias, Tabaco, Iriga, Naga, Panabo. Plus 94 barangay of Quezon City.
The COA audit for 2007 to 2009 validated P101 billion in VILPs (infra funds) released by the
Department of the Budget nationwide, P12 billion in PDAF released to DA, DPWH and DSWD;
and P2.36 billion from allocation for Financial Assistance to LGUs and budgetary support to
GOCCs.
An anonymous person, Luis Abalos, who was not a congressman in the 13th and 14th Congress,
received P20 million. I guess this is the equivalent of a ghost payroll, the kind of shenanigan
only our Congress is capable of.
Of the P12 billion PDAF released by DBM, only P8.374 billion or 69 percent was audited. Of
the P101.6 billion in infra funds (VILPs) released, only P32.66 billion (32 percent) was audited.
In other words, the leakage or bribe is 30 percent for PDAF and 68 percent for infra funds of
senators and congressmen. Three senators and six congressmen helped themselves with P1.393
billion of infra funds.
About P6.156 billion was transferred by three Cabinet departmentsDA, DPWH and DSWD
to 82 non-government organizations (NGOs). The P6.156 billion came from the PDAFs of 12
senators and 180 congressmen.
Ten NGOs received a total of P2.157 billion. All ten are linked to Janet Lim Napoles.
Six other NGOs got P189 million. These six included those owned by the legislators or with a
relative as incorporator or officer. In other words, the senator or the congressmen gave the
money to himself. The gall talaga.
151 Responses to Congress is the Philippines biggest criminal syndicate

1.
Ceasar Jose says:

September 11, 2013 at 2:24 pm
Every body who can read Mr Lopez article will surely say 100% correct . And everybody
who can read all the comment will agree too.>>>>> I have not read most of the
comment, but there is one thing we need to consider and think about it.>>>>Bakit kaya
naka pag nanakaw ang mga KAWATAN na ito>>>Dahil po nasa puesto sila>>>Bakit
nasa puesto sila>.> Dahil po tayo ang naglagay sa kanila ditoAnd thas where the
problem started.. TAYO ANG NAGLAGAY SA MGA KAWATAN NA ITO SA
KANILANG MGA PUESTO. ..Most of them are re-elected TONG-GREASE MAN and
SINA TONG. Alam nating lahat, na sa loob ng 3 yrs term nila puro NAKAW, KAWAT
ang ginawa, PERO ipinuesto parin natin silang muli>>>> BAKIT, BAKIT BAKIT ??
And that is the problem of some of our kapatid na PINOY.
2.
Mon Babasa says:

September 10, 2013 at 12:10 am
Mr. Lopez,
I can agree with you with all the corruption that has been going on, but 2007-2009 should
not be the only gauge to measure how much money had gone to waste. It should not be
the so called pork barrel or PDAF as one will call it, but the entire budget inclusive of
the presidential pork (discretionary fund) should be examined.
The current CCT (CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER) has a budget allocation of 60
plus billion for one year, how is this going to be accounted? When COA itself admitted
that it lacks the manpower to conduct an audit for pork barrel given to hundreds of
NGOs. In CCT, the government talks of 4. something million families, are we kidding
ourselves? This I think is one of the biggest scams yet. What about the hundred of
billions of pesos granted to Mindanao for development, can somebody tell what has
happened to it?
Pnoy is such a story teller, he cannot even account for his fathers real killer. Hes full of
air and anecdotes, he is for selective justice, meaning if youve crossed his or his familys
path, then beware.
Those who are found to be guilty of funneling their pork barrel to Napoles shoud be
jailed, but again, we should look at all the monies given out by the government, past and
present, properly accounted for.
I do not believe that this current government is not corrupt as propagandists would like
people to believe. Pilipinos, like it or not, are corrupt by nature. Pakikisama system is a
culture which can breed corruption, and us Pilipinos are known for this pakikisama.
Thank you
3.
Jay Alvarez says:

I believe that corruption can be abolished in the higher government offices, but we have
to remember that sometimes and most of the times we Filipinos are also corrupt in our
own simple ways. Deleting the corruption in the book of PH society is a long process, it
will be a rough road but still we as Filipinos, if we unite as one and act for a common
goal we can abolish this.
Lets stop blaming, we all know who are the culprits, stop pointing fingers to them, it will
not do good, instead let us act. Let us work together to achieve the justice weve been
demanding for so long. Let us scrutinize every political candidates and vote for those
who are sincere in public service, who were was once like us (ordinary citizens). Let us
watch our money and let us make sure that these pennies go to those in need. We need to
encourage one another not to support those who are buying votes. If we want to rise, we
need to have the desire to rise, as Seneca said, The greater part of progress is the desire
to progress. . We need to choose the leaders who are not looking for a position but wants
to show the right disposition, Genuine leadership is all about disposition not position.
John C. Maxwell
The Pork Barrel should go to the NGO Leaders who are raising funds through nonpolitical acquisition. To the teachers who journey the mountains and seas and rivers to
teach the unprivileged. To the doctors who chose to serve the people in the rural areas. To
those farmers and fishermen who battle the nature just to produce food for the nation. To
those street sweepers who ignore the heat and risk of accident just to clean the roads. To
those working students who fight the sleepless days and nights just to reach their dreams.
And to everyone who pays taxes, everyone who is Filipino and to everyone who is in
need.
4.
Conrad Frisco says:

OMG a first by a congress in the World! We Filipinos should have awaken long time
back. Why are electing these congressmen not to create laws but of fortune for
themselves? Poor Filipinospoor Philippines!
5.
Era pater says:

Spent 5 yrs in the Phils. cant complain, had a blast but at the end of the day it was
horribly corrupt. Just as night follows day, everyone knew their politicians are on the
take, it was a given. The police liked to shake you down. There were numerous other
scandals at the time that eroded the trust of the general public.
At the time, pudong in shanghai was just a rice field. Look at china, just look at what they
have done, look at Taiwan, a basket case till the early 90s. Thailands tourism grows
every year. Burma has finally opened up and even Vietnam is on the up and up and
wherere the Philippines now? Basically in the same place as where they are in the mid
90s when I left. Is there hope? You need to define hope first. In my opinion the
politicians are at the root cause and if a fish rots from the head then Im afraid the
Philippines must cut out their cancer called congress. Will they? Not on your life. Why?
Because anyone can work their way up and become a congressman. Along the way, they
can amass a wealth they can only dream of and this is what gives them hope
6.
Panch Puckett says:

I salute you Mr. Lopez for having the balls to write this article . I take my hat off to
you and I wish that other journalists will follow your example and have the guts too!
More power to you and I look forward to reading more of your articles about our
National Bosses who think they own this country and its people! God bless our country!
7.
John Machiavelli says:

Next election, I am running for congressman for the city I live in. Right now, I am broke
and need to pay my debts. I also like playing the roulettes. Thats a side issue but my
heart is really helping poor people out of poverty. I am a Christian and go to church every
day, er, at least everey Sunday. So, watch out for me John in the next elections and I
will be your savior from poverty.
8.
John Machiavelli says:

In about 2-3 months, this news (pork barrel, corrupt politicians) will be FORGOTTEN.
We will move to the next issue, say, Charices transition to gay or there will be outcry
because some famous celebrity bashing Manila as a dirty city. Even Mr. Lopez will
change gear and tackle another topic.oh, well, life goes on. In the meantime, the
politicians will come out from the boondocks and merrily continue plundering the
countrythe poor dont care, they are too dumb to know whats going on.
Andrew Lopez says:

I fully agree! Unless something very,very drastic (or draconian) is done whats
going on will continue till the mountains become plains and the cows come
home! Everyone but everyone is or will be on the take,no two ways about it!
Situation hopeless,solution nil!
9.
Marlon S. Badillo says:

Sir I will be glad if you will discuss in your column about Captain Jimmy Napoles, the
King of the Hypocrite, he almost die in his fight against corruption in the Military that
is why he joined the RAM, but when his wife Janet Napoles is doing the corruption he
stay silent because he and his family is benefited.
10.
agnes hardy says:

Philippines need change .Im from Chicago and everybody knows ,Our Governor and any
other been sentenced here for using budget on the wrong way . They need to do it. Justice
for the people of Philippines fair is fair .For me banned and make a law to prohibits
family in any Government position one is enough.If ever they want to help cut off their
salary or do as voluntary will see if they still want to be elected if its free. Too many
Politicians theres no more budget and still a lot receiving money from the govt. cut it !
lay off some .In 5 years if they do so ,can start the funds to help the people ,direct the
funds to the organization rather than to the elected officials.
11.
Lolito says:
August 26, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Sir,
Tony, you deserve to be in service of the filipino people . i salute you!
Good luck1
Best regards,
Lolito
12.
Cesar Giron says:

August 26, 2013 at 7:33 pm
There is only one solution. I urge very Filipino business entity and every Filipino not to
pay their taxes. The government cannot possibly imprison everyone by doing so.That
way there will be no more funds these thieves can steal. Every business and each Filipino
should instead give their hard earned money to their favorite charity
myrna a. lopez says:

August 29, 2013 at 3:29 am
I agree to the above recommendation exempt all common Filipinos(excluding

government employees from the top down) from paying their taxes for a year2013-2014. Instead, let the senators and congressmen give back to the particular
govt agency what they stole
from the people thru the PDAF. COA should monitor if the money each one stole
has been paid back. This would be the only solution to punish those people
because it seems improbable that the president of the country will have the guts to
imprison them aside from letting them pay back what they stole.
13.
Former Filipino says:

August 26, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Courageous comment Mr. Lopez, What the Filipino people need is to have a courageous
brave honest leader to unite the people the masses and start a revolution capture all
corrupt politicians and their families, political dynasties and their families, anyone who
steal money from govt. coffers anyone who enrich themselves in questionable way,
anyone who received bribe to enrich themselves and parade them in Luneta and execute
them one by one. No mercy. Collect all their properties and monies and return to the
people. Let there be no rich nor poor everyone will have what it needs, whoever want to
become rich will only attain it in a fair hard work and honest way, this is the only way to
make a credible change in the so-called Phil. democracy,
Andrew Lopez says:

August 27, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Fidel Castro of Cuba did something along that line when he took power in 1959!
And Cuba is now one of the least corrupt (if corrupt at all!) in the Americas! But
he wasnt in a democracy! Doesnt that say something about democracies?
14.
jerry says:
August 26, 2013 at 3:02 am
noong panahon nang mga Marcos walang takot na hinarap/hinaramg ang mga
Tanke,Bala, at kung ano ano pa baka panahon nanaman po para ipakita ang PEOPLES
POWER sa mga Bulok na nanunungkulan sa ating Gobyerno.mabuhay po kayo Tony
Lopez!!!!
Toni says:

Tingin mo ba may naitulong yang People Power na ginawa nila kay Marcos? Sa
time ni Marcos 1usd is to 2php lang ang currency conversion At lahat
pinangako (if not all.. most of them) nya nagawa nya. Kahit pa sabihin ng marami
na greedy or OA ang paggamit nya ng power, he has made the Philippines
number one country in Asia. Yung mga sumunod na administration? Ano ginawa?
NGANGA! After the time of Marcos, sunod sunod ang corruption.. at malamang,
ung mga anak anak pa at ibang kamag-anak ng mga namumuno yan sila na ung
next generation ng mga corrupt govt officials. May choice ba? Sila sila rin
nagpapatakbo ng election eh!!! KALERKS Much!!!
15.
Enncrave says:
August 26, 2013 at 1:56 am
Thanks Tony for your outstanding article. I believe time has come to dismantle not only
the so-called pork barrel but Congress as well a total overhaul of our political
system. There should be a peoples court to try the scalawags. We have been in a
plunder economy and everybody is witnessed to that. Plunder the poor taxpayer to
augment the wealth of the rich and powerful. A plunder case is a non-bailable offence
and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Andrew Lopez says:

August 28, 2013 at 8:45 am
I thought plunder was punishable by death! Who changed that law? And what
happened to the two,three or four plunder cases in the courts for years now?
Nothing,absolutely nothing;in fact the guilty parties are now, if not more
powerful, at least as powerful as before- or pardoned! (I wish the punishment of
hell were as reliable as our laws!) And thats one of the biggest problems in
the Philppines: not only are there too many laws but nobody applies them!
And,worst of all,the guilty get away wth it!
16.
jalvare says:
August 25, 2013 at 5:50 am
Im concerned about Tony Lopezs safety. I included him in my prayer list.
Criminals, in their shameless greediness wont hesitate to do harm on Tony.
Anyways, those crooks are hell bound. Mahirap magsisi at magbalik loob sa Diyos ang
mga plunderer. The will be subjected to Gods law of restitution. Isasauli ang ninakaw ng
higit sa doble ng original na halaga. Papaano na??? Maybe they thought that with their
millions they can BRIBE God??
17.
Edd says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:44 am
If all these comments posted in the internet be captured and collated into a volume of
books and presented to the congress/senate would be more meaningful. These public
official dont even have a time anyway browsing the internet, let alone reading all these
comments. Its like a Bible for example in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 5: Verse
17-19: You shall not murder. Neither shall you commit adultery. Nether shall you steal.
Perhaps I would find my comments in Volume 10:105 of the Book of Litany of Graft
and Corruption which is written: The Philippine Senate needs a Kumisyon to oversee
the Kumisyon who oversee the Commission of the Pork Barrel Kumisyon. Then a law
will be passed to read a verse from the book every time a session in the senate will begin.
I am not saying that the usual prayers be taken away like the time of the Corona
impeachment, but hoping against all hope per chance our senators will change.
18.
Pnoy Ang Dugo Ko says:

August 23, 2013 at 10:36 am
Mahusay at matapang ka Mr. Lopez, saludo po ako sa inyong mga talata. Kumbinsido po
ako sa lahat ng iyong sinambit at nakakapanghina po ng kalamanan kung ating iisipin na
ang dapat na magsasaayos ng ating batas ay siya pang sumisira. Bagamat ganito na tayo
noon, hanggang ngayon walang pagbabago dahil ang mga tao ay hindi rin marunong
pumili ng mamumuno sa atin.
RUBEN MATIAS says:

August 24, 2013 at 10:38 am
I am just wondering why COA has not released its PDAF audit for YRS 20102012. It might be interesting to know what our current congressmen, senators, and
executive department officials have done with the PDAF. Besides, many of these
legislators were former LAKAS party members of former Pres. Gloria Macapagal
who are now with LAKAS PALA (LP) of the Aquino Administration.
19.
Andrew Lopez says:

August 23, 2013 at 9:20 am
How can you eliminate graft and corruption when all you blame is the govt. and its
different bodies and totally ignore one important part/fact: the people themselves! As
someone said to me once: it is an impossibility to have an honest (serving) politician
because in order to win he has to buy votes from the very same people who want him to
be honest,otherwise he cannot win! And unless he can print his own money he/she must
recoup his expenses,or go bankrupt! Or engage in corrupt practices!
Lets face it: corruption is practically inbred,so endemic and widespread it is, and unless
something very,very drastic is done (think Fidel Castro of Cuba!),which in a democracy
would not be tolerated nor possible, it will be a constant part of life in the Philippines! So
get used to the saying: theres no such thing as an honest politician! but add: not all
of them are crooks though,some do it simply to survive! Which is what everybody is
trying to do in our country!
Vikingjeger says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:46 am
Few months ago during the local election, the citizens behaved as Santa himself
came to their doors.. Money was given by politicians left and right, some locals
listed them self in several regions..my neighbor (true-or-false) told me she got
1000 pesos from candidate in Mindanao and 300 pesos from local major office
here in south Cebu.
Point is..NOT ONE person declined to accept the peso for vote bribe, indicating
that no-one understand integrity, honesty, corruption on the grass root level nor
care!! Rather they accept this as normal..as my Pinay wife stated..So
What..??
art e says:
August 24, 2013 at 12:28 pm
true indeed, most politicians resorted to vote-buying during election in order to
win, but the money they used are the pork barrels they earned from their position.
for neophytes they would not hesitate to invest some amount knowing that they
could easily get the roi in a short span once elected. but if theres no such thing as
pdaf, only people with sincere desire to serve will run for public position.
candidates will not buy votes and people will not expect dole outs from the
candidates during election. my point is, its not the peoples fault rather, the
candidates. where there is a giver, there will always be a receiver
elmer collong says:

August 25, 2013 at 8:11 am
You have a very good grasp of reality for the professional politician in the
country, sir, but I beg to disagree on the point you are making that the aspiring to
be elected has to buy votes. Its a prostitutes argument there where they have to
sell their bodies in order to eat. Understandable, but not necessarily acceptable. I
have to agree with Art E on this because, the politician, aspiring to be a leader,
must show that he or she is also moral. Equally, if said aspirant is truly talented as
a leader, it shouldnt be necessary to buy votes. Its when they have nothing to
show for thats when they have to lean on money, or influence, or coercion and all
the other ugly things we see today. Like a prostitute, the argument that they are
simply trying to survive like you and me eventually doesnt stand. They ruin
society. Working in a government hospital, I see the effect on the people.
Mapapamura ka and think dark thoughts talaga. Its defeatist thinking, Andrew.
We must stand with the good and keep pushing for a day where things are better
and the next generation will look up to us and thank us for at least trying. Id
rather hold firm to the saying all evil needs to succeed is for a few good men to
do nothing. Without the pork barrel, Im sure some bad eggs will be discouraged
from running, and the people will be more critical and conscious of the
background of candidates and the conduct and accomplishments of elected
officials. Corruption may be endemic, but we used to live in caves and we used to
be a Spanish colony, di ba?
Julie Ludlow says:

August 25, 2013 at 1:55 pm
The fact that members of the Philippine Congress could steal with impunity
massive amounts of taxpayers money says a lot about accountability in the
Philippine government. The reason why corruption is rampant in public service is
the fact that NO ONE ever gets jailed or even expelled out of office for financial
malfeasance. As long as this continues on, the systemic failure in accountability
will always have the same result: massive corruption! And unless Filipinos
themselves demand a change, the status quo will remain. Knowing that corruption
itself is a way of life in the Philippines, I have no faith that there will be major
changes and clean-up in the Philippine government. Thus, the Philippines will
remain in the list of Failed States. (Foreign Policy Magazine, Aug.2013 issue).
Julie Ludlow says:

August 25, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Some do it to survive is rather a poor and an invalid excuse to tolerate the
massive corruption in Philippine Congress. First of all, I seriously doubt if theres
any poor politicians in the Philippines. Mainly rich people and movie stars can
afford to invest in elections and its a business investment-they want to be in
office NOT to serve their fellowmen but to empower themselves and to
accumulate as much wealth as possible.The reason why these people ran for
office is mainly to pad their bank balances. ALL Philippine politicians are crooksonly in varying degrees! And Filipinos themselves are to blame for electing these
scums. Jose Rizal once said, There are no tyrants where there are no slaves. He
was right!
TITO FERNAN says:

August 25, 2013 at 5:53 pm
I agree with most of the comments. The Philippines corruption problems by the
politicians down to the ordinary folks working for the Government as the
policemen, BIR, Customs, etc. have been going on for decades. They are
ingrained already in the culture and almost impossible to eradicate. Different
political leaders come and go and still the corruption continues. Dont you think
the problem could be the very system of governing the country: the democratic
system of electing officials. The Philippines copied this system from the U.S.
However, you cannot compare the quality of the electorate of these 2 nations. The
U.S. democratic system works because they have an educated and strong middleclass and a very informed electorate. A large majority of the Filipino voters are
not familiar with its system of government, what is going on in Congress, the
qualifications of the candidates, etc. They follow their friends, relatives or
pastors suggestion who to vote for rather than studying the candidates intently
and thinking for themselves. The right to vote is a serious and sacred matter and
should not be sold off. Many times they just vote for someone whose family is
well-known or a celebrity or a famous sport figure. Thats not going to cut it.
Vote for the candidates whose platform makes sense and can deliver for the good
of the community and ultimately the country. Would you also say that the people
are disciplined and very respectful of the countrys laws? Thats another problem
area. As they say, the fish smells from the head. But in your case, the fish smells
from all over. Best of luck.
Andrew Lopez says:
August 30, 2013 at 10:06 am

Julie and Elmer: You missed my point entirely! By doing what they do to
survive I meant simply that they want to survive,i.e.,continue, so they can
continue,ad infitum,doing what theyre doing as theres plenty of money in
it,plenty,plenty,plenty! Its not surviving like a prostitute has to do (which,by
the way,sounds like lawyer talk!) or because theyre poor or lack money!
(Everyone,and his/her dog,know theres no such person as a poor politician!)
20.
Terry Kilburg says:

August 23, 2013 at 1:27 am
I have seen, heard, and communicated with many Filapinos and 99.9% of the Philippine
citizens are strong, resilient, hard-working and smart when they are not force-fed by
corrupt leaders. The citizens of the Phils create a strong foundation so a vibrant, future
economy is within grasp. Since this article found its way to the press, it is in the public
eye and everyone needs to come together and take massive actioncopy this article in
case it is taken down, get it in your local media, translate it if needed and stand tall for
your rights to a lifestyle worth living and fight until the pendulem swings-God had
granted you this lifechanging opportunity so band together and stir the pot!
21.
Amelia Sebastian Uy says:

August 22, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Mabuti naman at ngayon napag-uusapan na yan. Ang tagal din nanahimik tungkol sa mga
isyu ng corruption na gamit ang pork barrel. Salamat sa mga nag-ingay sa kongreso at sa
mga naglakas ng loob na isiwalat ang mga nagsasamantala sa kaban ng bayan.
22.
BLAS TEMPLONUEVO says:

August 22, 2013 at 4:45 pm
MULAT SAPUL IISA LANG ANG MAIN ISSUE,YAN AY ANG TALAMAK NA
CORRUPTION SA GOBYERNO AT MGA GUMAGAWA AY MISMONG MGA
TAUHAN NG GOBYERNO,KAYA PAPAANO ITO MAHIHINTO OKAYAY
TULUYANG MAWALA.HINDI KAYA MAS MABUTING HUMINGI NG TULONG
ANG ATING PRESIDENTE SA MGA MAGAGALING NA PRIBADONG MGA
ABOGADO,LETS SAY SA MGA TAGA U.P.AT SA IBA PANG RESOURCES
UPANG PAGTULUNGANG BALANGKASIN KUNG PAPAANO MAHIHINTO
ANG CORRUPTION.YON AY KUNG TALAGANG GUSTO NG PRESIDENTING
MAHINTO ITO.KUNG ANG MGA NAKURAKOT NA PERA AY IBINILI NG

BARKONG PANDIGMA ERPLANONG PANDIGMA MODERNONG KAGAMITAN
NG ARM PORCES,E DI SANAY NABANTAYAN NATIN NG HUSTO ANG ANG
LAHAT NG SAKOP NG ATING BANSA.
23.
billy says:
August 22, 2013 at 3:52 pm
The only business in the Philippines that we can visibly witness, progressing are
politicians. Mansions here and abroad, luxury cars , private armies, businesses and so on.
How much are the legal salary of this officials that they can afford those extravagant?
Those are from PDAP or pork barrel fund and other government fund. Abolished PDAP
and allocate that money for Infra, social services and research and development and
technology and salary for civil servants through efficient, organized and transparent
public administrator of government agencies. Their must be separation between politics
and administration. Politics are mandated to create laws and overseer of Public
Organization to achieve goals.
24.
jun diez says:

August 22, 2013 at 3:29 pm
most politician running for public official because of money. noong bata ako tanda ko
pag my election sa municipality namin hindi ma complete ang 8 persons line-up sa
councilor. kasi walang pang salary noon ang councel parang honorarium lang. now na
may salary na ang mga councilor sa liit nang municipality namin halos aabot sa 40 ang
tumakbo. before ang mga tumakbo my qualification talaga. aside of being brainy my
truck record talaga for public service kung hindi lawyer galing NGO. but now omg basta
may pera pang bili nang vote takbo. inisip kulang hindi naman sila rich pero bunili nang
vote. paano nila ma return yong pera nila na binili nang vote? kaya dapat alisin na yong
mga pork barrel im sure wala nang patayan every election. at im very sure wala nang
tatakbo sa congress at senador. kaya lang naman sila tumakbo sa ganyan because of
power ang money. comment kulang ito. walang personalan.
25.
Jerome says:
August 22, 2013 at 3:10 pm
Whatever we say or do it will not change the fact that our country is one of the poorest in
the world. We are all complaining about our corrupt government officials but we keep on
voting on them each election. Dont you guys get it. They are all corrupt if not maybe
95% of them are corrupt. Its not about the congress or the senate or whatever branches
of government we have. Abolishing them is not the answer. Reading, Blogging or posting
it somewhere will not solve our countrys problem. We need to take actions on it. Instead
of reading and leaving a comment lets take a step forward by means of action. I always
see comments telling that Political Families are powerful that we cant do anything to
have them prosecuted. Yes as per our Philippine law they are right because they own our
law. But in the law of the people we can have them immediately prosecuted. We dont
need any investigations. If we can all act together to stop this. We can do our own kudeta.
Not a militaru khu. But a filipinos khu for a better future. Lets stop ignoring our
countrys problem. Im calling for each and everyone of filipinos to act. This is for our
kids future. TAMA NA ANG WALANG PAKIALAM. TAMA NA ANG LILIPAS DIN
YAN. TAMA NA ANG WALA NA TAYONG MAGAGAWA. Lets act guys not for
just ourselves but for all of us. Lets make our own law. Lets take to them what they
created. And let them hear one of the favorite phrase of our Judiciary branch.
WE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES FIND THE ACCUSE (CORRUPT PERSON
even not a Government Official ) GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT. AND
BY THE LAW OF FILIPINOS YOU WILL BE SENTENCE TO DEATH BY
BEHEADING. AND ALL YOUR ASSETS WILL BE RETURN TO THE PHILIPPINE
GOVERNMENT.
So Ordered,
By Filipinos!
Lets prosecute them all until the good ones are the only ones left.
YES CORRUPTION IS A SERIOUS CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!!!
Andrew Lopez says:

August 30, 2013 at 9:06 am
Sentenced to death by beheading? Now,where did I hear that word before?
Iraq? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Sudan? Definitely not from a (mostly)Christian
nation! Lets just apply the law,which we have a lot of, AS IT SHOULD BE
APPLIED,and Ill be content with that! Lets not become animals or uncivilized
in the process! To paraphrase a former President: I prefer a civilized Philippines
than a vicious and bloodthirsty Philippines!
26.
JR says:
August 22, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Corruption will NEVER be abolished. It is already ingrained in Philippine society. It is
everywhere from the highest offices of government like former presidents Marcos,
Estrada etc down to the street police asking for tong to students paying unscrupulous
teachers to get advanced copies of exams. It is everywherehigh and low. This is caused
by lax adherence to rules, lax attitudes toward rules and the common good. Politicians
who are elected consider public service as their turn for self enrichment. Only an act of
supreme divine intervention.a miracle will eradicate this plague. If I only had one
wishit would be that we became a state, a colony of the United Stateslook at Hawaii,
Puerto Rico, Guam? You can criticize my opinionits oklook how many million
Filipinos are suffering as a result of corruption. I could just dream how progressive our
country would now be without corruption. Filipinos dont know how to form an effective
government model..they vote aging, retiring movie stars and singers.pathetic! You get
what voted forwhat are their qualifications anyway? There is no U turn from
corruption.
JR says:
August 22, 2013 at 2:21 pm
If the Filipinos dont shape up, China is already encroachingmaybe they will
come in and fix it. Wake up!
27.
Masno says:
August 22, 2013 at 12:50 pm
These corruption of mega-magnitude flourished because nobody is checking them. There
is no preventive measures being followed. There were issues before from the previous
administrations and there is nothing done on how to prevent in the future. Sorry,
Filipinos, we just have to cry out loud and shout on the top of our lungs, but this will
happen again and the cycle goes on and on. Common sense dictates that you have to take
care of your body by not exposing yourselves to viruses so that you wont get sick and
thats prevention. This is a vicious cycle from one administration to the next, because
nobody is checking. Mr. Lopez, thank you for your article, but my question is: Why is
COA just released their so-called findings after these things happened? Is it their role to
check only after these things happen? If there is a project, are they not going to have, at
least, an ocular inspection to validate any disbursements? Are they just watching with
their open eyes and make a report for the media? Are they not supposed to protect the
assets and resources of the government by implementing measures to avoid abuses? To
whom are they (COA) accountable? It would be a patriotic service to the Filipino people
if COA will release to the Filipinos on what is their role in the government and what are
they doing. I am not speculating any conivance here, because I dont know much their
role. What is the media saying about this COA agency. Thank you for your time.
28.
Reynaldo E. Nocilo says:

August 22, 2013 at 11:28 am
Halos mamatay na ako sa pagod sa marangal at produktibong pagtratrabaho dahil sa
pagtataguyod ng kaginhawaan ng aking pamilya, ngunit wala pa rin akong asenso at ang
hirap pa rin ng buhay ko. Itong mga Politikong ito sa congreso ay paupo-upo lamang at
nagkukubli lang sa paggawa ng batas na kunwari kanilang pinagkaka abalahan, pero naka
concentrate naman sila kung paano mapapa sakanila ang parte nila sa PORK BARREL.
Di na kailangan ang Congreso dahil marami na tayong batas at magiging kanlungan lang
ito ng corruption na sana mapupunta sa mga naghihirap na taong bayan. Sa totoo lang
karamihan naman ng mga batas na kanilang pinanunukala ay hindi naman nasusunod at
naipapatupad. Para nga lang sa mga interes ng mga kapitalista, Politiko at mayayaman
nga lang ang mga batas na ginagawa nila. Nakakalungkot dahil harap harapan na nga
lang ang kanilang pagnanakaw ay sila pa ang mababangis na tumutuligsa sa mga maliliit
na mamamayang nagkakasala sa batas. Pero kung susuriin natin ay sila pa pala ang HARI
NG CORRUPTION AT SINDIKATO na nagkukubli sa posisyong ipinagkaloob din ng
taong bayan. Mamamayang Pilipino!!! Go out and seek the ABOLITION OF
CONGRESS MOVEMENT. Tama na, Sobra na, Alisin na sila. Mga pahirap sa bayan!!!
29.
svenson says:
August 22, 2013 at 9:42 am
everyone is corrupt even the barangay tanod, they asking money when they are rounding
up during their duty to assure their security. traffic enforcer asking grace money to pass
through small violation, nothing to trust at all. if the money goes to government agency
all of the officer and workers are also corrupt. their contact contractor is also corrupt.
30.
LOY says:
August 22, 2013 at 9:15 am
According to this article of Mr Lopez, the COA report of Congressmen and Senators their
PDAF funds were being deposit to several NGOs. For example, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile
gave 469.39 million, Sen Jinggoy Entrada gave 307.195 million, Sen Bong Revilla also
gave 471.39 million and to name a few. Only Sen Miriam Santiago gave 300K to a
catholic religious organization which is prohibited by the law that no public funds be
used to any religious sect. More than 50% of their PDAF was deposited to these NGOs.
For what purpose? If you analyzed these sum of money that they have deposit to these
NGOs, it is clear that it was for keeping their funds public money for their own
purpose. I want to stressed the word DEPOSITED because these NGOs were just
safekeepers of their PDAF and as soon as they need it they will just ask for it. What a
crook
31.
LOY says:
August 22, 2013 at 8:58 am
My comments on August 20 was shelved. Im not sure whats the reason. Maybe its
because I mentioned about the Malacanang to initiate its reform by scrapping their
Intelligence Fund that is CAO-Free Audit and I also commented on the scrapping of the
SUCs govt subsidy and the GOCCs transparent report. But anyway, I hope we will not
be bias in all of our reporting because what the public wants to know is the truth of the
matter.
32.
Manuel B. Zuniga Sr. says:

August 22, 2013 at 6:16 am
Abolish Congress totally.I salute you Mr. Lopez.Keep up the good work.Take care and
God bless.
33.
Engr Lope Cortez says:

August 22, 2013 at 3:35 am
Mr. Lopez thank you so much for that very enlightening write-up of our Congress that is
run by well educated, moneyed and religious people. After reading, I was ashamed and
embarrased to know that that Institution is not now credible. Under that shade are law
makers and law breakers. Now my question is, what is the best solution to avoid
reoccurence of this unacceptable behavior? My suggestion is to Shut Down Congress
and Senate and investigate. it will resume its function only when the investigation and
guilty are identified. I think the Filipino people is the highest authority in the land. Then
lets do it. I will ptay to the Almighty God for His entercession. God bless Phillipines.
34.
Gorio says:
August 22, 2013 at 2:15 am
Its time concerned citizens of this country to do something. For starters we need to
organize. Organize in such a way that we can influence the result of an election so we
can elect a qualified statesman & leader. Its going to a long journey, but we need to start
somewhere. Lets organize!
35.
Marcus says:
August 22, 2013 at 1:11 am
Hindi na ko magtataka kung pati mga biggest crime hindi mareresolba kasi sila din ang
may gawa. Minsan napapaisip ako yung ibang krimen like bombahan, banggaan ng mga
barko etc ay baka sila din ang may gawa para ma divert ang atensyon ng mga tao.
36.
Mario A. Hernando says:

August 22, 2013 at 12:44 am
How refreshing to read thoughtul, responsible comments. Maybe they have been edited
(for good). Am glad that the such an important issue as congressional thievery has drawn
serious comments.
37.
Arvin Pagente says:

August 22, 2013 at 12:18 am
Well said Sir! We dont need congress of unqualified people! Tapos may mga party-list
pa pandagdag sa budget para nakawin lang. Di na kelangan 300 lawmakers.
Sobrang dami na magnakaw ng pera. Maliit lang naman ang Pinas pero andami nila, wala
namang ginagawa.
38.
Frednitz says:
August 22, 2013 at 12:18 am
these are leeches and vampires in barong tagalog. Their cover up to look like they are
nationalistic. Shame on you!! Pwe!! Only difference is they wont let go until theyve
sucked every last drop of lifeblood of the Filipinos.
39.
RICHARD MON says:

August 21, 2013 at 11:54 pm
The source of corruption must be eliminated or abolished. The money should be handed
to private or religious institutions for the transparent, open use for the public welfare. Cut
down the number of elected members of corrupt congress- they , and their families ,are
expensive to support. The judiciary and executive branches must have the teeth, will and
to punish all the guilty ones after court trial.
Educate the masses not to vote for the corrupt, thieves, and all with unexplained wealth
politicians ..We also need an unbiased media. Better still, we need a Gestapo-like
supervisory eyes and ears in all branches of the government
40.
LouiePC says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Blame should also be on the mis-educated Filipino voters for consciously &
persistently voting those porky political dynasties
41.
Pedro Ellema says:

August 21, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Tama yan sir Lopez, isang untouchable na syndicate ang congress at senate, iisa lang ang
magpapabalik ng tiwala sa mga pilipino sa lahat ng nasa gobyerno, ito kung ang mga ito
ay masusunod.
1, itigil ang pork barrel
2. kasuhan ang mga nakinabang at ikulong
3. kunin sa kanila ang lahat ng ninakaw nila
4. at kailangan malaman ng lahat ng pilipino na ito ay nangyari
Dito cgurado hahangaan ka ng boss mo pinoy, pag de mo ito magawa mananatili na ang
mga pilipino ay walang tiwala sa mga nasa gobyerno, at alam nyo malabo ito mangyari
kc nga mga UNTOUCHABLE ito dahil nga isang malaking syndikato ang senate at
congress ng pilipinas sa buong mundo, talo pa nila ang MAFIA sa Italy.
42.
manny zaid says:

August 21, 2013 at 9:19 pm
I agree with Mr. Lopez article , punish all this senators and congressman because i
believe they are all corrupt . hang them right now so justice may be than for all filipino
who suffer and poor..nakakainis na paulit ulit na lng ang coruption nila sa kaban ng
bayan !
43.
Pat says:
August 21, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Barangays in Quezon City? One barangay captain there sends his son to Ateneo, drives
kinda expensive cars plus all the luho. He might be a lawyer but when youre a public
official, arent you supposed to take a leave/hiatus from your private practice? Or could
he be using his office in the barangay hall for personal use? This barangay captain was
already reported last election by ABSCBN I think re vote buying and now I think another
family member will run.Maybe we should also look at the barangay levels and LGUs.
44.
Jessie says:
August 21, 2013 at 8:57 pm
This is the group of self-righteous people who convicted Renato Corona. Now the
judgement for them has come! What a shame! They must be ousted from their offices
too. The Bible is always true and correct- What you sow, you reap. The president must
be ashamed of his team! Corrupt to the bones!
45.
kiko says:
August 21, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Strike the iron while it is hot. While this issue on prok barrel is hot, we should be vigilant
and do everything within our power to abolish it. The people should join forces and unite
on this.
alouette says:
August 23, 2013 at 4:50 am
Amen. We, the ordinary people, are done with rhetorics and opinions and idle
conversations. The is serious matter involving the lives and future of the next
generation. It is time to ACTstarting with the abolishment of the Pork Barrel
and including the election of qualified responsible honest public servants. Do
away with political dynasties in the Philippines. It is not too late to save the
Philippines from total economic and morale collapse. Each person has a right to
be self-sufficient if only the elected people in the government will have the
decency and morale platform to keep all their pre-election promises.
46.
Mangkukulam says:
August 21, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Parang nakikita ang pag ka dismaya ng mga ibang politician, paano ngayun yung ginastos
nila nitong kakatapos na election?
Its time na talaga tangalin ang ugat ng kasamaan, no wonder hindi matapos tapos ang
Dynasty at nakiki pag patayan na pag dating sa election :)
47.
mhon says:
August 21, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Kaya mga politiko sa atin nagpapatayan tuwing malapit na ang eleksiyon kasi pag ang
dami palang pera sa philippines politics..tingnan mo yung anak ni GMA na naging
congressman first declare ng kanyang SALN magkano lang..nakaupo ng ilang taon
biglang lumubo nakabili pa ng property sa America..
48.
hell says:
August 21, 2013 at 5:06 pm
pork barrel should be abolish up to barangay level it is were corruption starts.
49.
Edgar Casals says:

August 21, 2013 at 3:47 pm
Thank you Tony for this very enlightening article. I hope somebody in Pnoyscamp rwad
this and take seriously the information and lessons it contains. I also hope they would not
take it against the author and those who agreed with his opinions.
50.
Leonardo Mercado says:

August 21, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Halatang maykurapsyon, ang pera ng bayan ay naibigay para sa mga proyekto at
programa ng mga senador at congress ; kaso sa actual ay di naman makita, at kung
makita man ay wala sa tamang halaga,,,. kaya tanggalin na lang ang pork barrel nila para
di sila matukso sa pera. kaya sa munisipyo na lang ipagkaloob ang budget at siya ang
bahala sa kanyang bayan,,, at madali lang iaudit,,, si mayor lang
51.
I'm no angel says:

August 21, 2013 at 2:22 pm
I think its not only about who are the current people in power but it seems that whoever
becomes the successor wants all the benefits of his predecessor. From the lowest
baranggay officials to the high ranking officials of the government and its branches.
Greed and its offspring- corruption is the demon that can never be exorcized from the
time of our forefathers, until now.
52.
Michelle Mabawad says:

August 21, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Thank you so much for this info. Habang binabasa ko po ito dko napigilan tumulo ang
luha ko. . Mahiya naman kayo mga senador at congressman. Para sa mga tao yan hindi
para a inyo. Lalong lalo na po doon sa mga politiko na nakata nggap ng Aid para sa
biktima ng pablo sa Baganga, Davao Oriental. Bakit nyo ibinulsa, !ginamit ang para sa
mga biktima. Pero anong ginawa nyo ginamit nyo sa kampanya para may pundo kayo.
Attention congressman Nelson Dayanghirang ibigsy mo sa mga tao ang para sa kanila
wag mong ibulsa
53.
ayrocindemi l. medrano says:

August 21, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Almost all developed countries experienced civil war. It is destructve and painful. But for
a country to have a genuine reforms, there should be bloodshed. Life and blood are
sacred. The sanctity of blood make it an effective clensing agent for an evil-ridden
government. It is just a matter of time and a right person or group to lead the real
revolution. Many are waiting. What our politicians are doing is just shortening the time of
waiting.
54.
Johmy Fajilan says:

August 21, 2013 at 1:56 pm
It is always easy to make general accusations and sweeping recommendations. I need

more specific cases involving specified lawmakers. To describe the whole Congress as
the biggest criminal syndicate does not take into account the fact that there are honest and
outstanding men and women in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The COA
audit report was deficient in the sense that it did not discover the clerical error of the
DBM on the alleged pork barrel allocation amount to a former congressman known as
Way Kurat. The COA chairwoman, who appeared to have added fuel to the issue by
her sensational comments, must be held accountable for the oversight.
55.
Ellie Javier says:

August 21, 2013 at 1:10 pm
I dont get it why Naga (in Camarines Sur?) is included who is/are involved? I dont
think soweve been deprived here of basic services and other services for a long time
of governments support and Naga survived. This City has been independent from the
rest in Camarine Sur because we have strong political will due to Robredos leadership.
Ok, I get it, its the Villafuertes doing because he was a Congressman for the 2nd District
(now 3rd District) where Naga is included. Good thing that we finally get rid the two of
them the father and the son.
56.
Ruth says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:36 am
So then we knew..so what now???? We just read it? And re-read it.,I heard this since I
was small.,same problem..same talk..,so what now?
we comment.,we blog..so what now?
public was informed long time ago..but nothing happens
pidro says:
August 21, 2013 at 12:45 pm
What now? Vote wisely next time.
Ralf Noebbe says:

August 21, 2013 at 7:07 pm
Hi.
I lived about 9 years in the Philippines (1994-2003) and observed that as well. I
can tell you that we have it here in germany as well. It is just hidden.
The problem that nothing changed is that ,as said before , everybody elected starts
taking over from the others habits.
Change can be done only if you elect people with integrity who are honest to the
bones, who are not afraid to tell the truth even if it is against the rich families.
I know from the distance it is easy to say but I feel really connected to your
country as my kids are all born there.
I wish your country all the best and hope the people in the Philippines have the
power to do changes.
Best Regards
Ralf
Chito Manayon says:

August 21, 2013 at 9:49 pm
Why not charge all of them with plunder. We have the evidence now. Its a
capital offense. I guess this is the right time to make an example. If the DOJ or
any judge cant prosecute, prosecute the judge also untili all the corrupt people are
hanged or jailed. If the Americans can prosecute the Mafia to its knees why cant
we? DO it now Mr Noypi. That will be youre legacy.
Winnie says:
August 22, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Or might as well not vote anymore.. or boycott the next national election if
nothing happens about this horrible PDAF scam by then.. shame on them
politicians..
Andrew Lopez says:

August 30, 2013 at 9:34 am
Nothing always happens,nothing! Dont people ever get that? If you replace one
devil what makes you sure youre not replacing him with another? (And most
likely you are!)Remember the saying:Better the devil you know than the devil
you dont! Maybe the only solution,albeit partial only,is to prohibit any
politician to run for reelection ever,and his relatives,down to 3rd cousin
level,prohibited to run after him! It might not end corruption but it will end
poltical dynastes! Something is better than nothing,as Gen.Pancho Villa of

Mexico once said!
57.
Hunter says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:27 am
The problem is not PDAF, it was conceptualized to make funds accessible to those who
are in need. Many have been helped by PDAF: hospitals, schools, farmers, fishermen and
the needy. It is obvious that the people in control of these funds are the culprits here.
Senators and congressmen are the true criminals. So its stupid to blame the person who
thought of this idea which was intended in the first place to do good for our people. We
cannot blame PNOY for not hastily scrapping this. Many are still benefiting from these
funds legitimately, so how can abolishing these funds hastily, help these people?
Analyzing the system by identifying loopholes is the smart thing to do. One very big
loophole are the congressmen and senators themselves, so therefore they should be first
investigated. Changes in the system must be proposed and must be scrutinized before
implementation. However, if this system cannot be proven to be 100% corruption proof,
then that may be a good time to safely abolish this. It will be much easier now for the
people concerned to accept this.
EustaquioJoven says:
August 21, 2013 at 3:42 pm
The problem is PDAF. Hospitals, schools, farmers, fishermen can be provided for
in the regular budget.
R. Rivera says:
August 22, 2013 at 10:42 am
Then, Pres. Aquino should show proof that people benefited from PDAF.
Remember that his pork barrel is also huge! And, nobody can question it.
58.
Jet B. says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:22 am
Hats off to you Mr. Lopez!!! I want the pork abolished. I am an employee and 32% of my
salary is being taxed.
59.
Fe Mercado says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:00 am
Thank you Mr. Lopez for your brave article. I hope our President reads your article. Mr.
President, now is your chance to really implement your daang matuwid. Abolish the pork
barrel. Legislators like congressmen and senators does not need funds to enact laws. It
requires only their intelligence. Why not file a bill increasing the salary of our legislators
say P 1Million a month but they have to shoulder the salaries of their staff. Increase also
the salaries of our President down the line commensurate to the salary of executives in a
private corporation. Allocate the pork barrel to government agencies like DPWH,
Department of Education, Department of Health, Energy sector and utilities such as
water. What we need are roads, schools, hospitals, electricity and water. If the
government can provide these basic needs or services, then the private sector or business
groups can spur economic growth that can really contribute to the improvement of our
lives.
60.
Andres Dera says:

August 21, 2013 at 9:29 am
Who can be that Filipino President who would sincerely fight corruption and not for
political gimmick to win an election? Noynoy as a person maybe a sincere anticorruption public servant, but has no real guts to fight the culture of corruption when it is
his friends, kabarilan and kasama are involved. This is a scenario, a rewind during the
time of his mother. We can consider the failure of our hope during the time of his mother
to eradicate corruption as it was really a gargantuan job to remove corruption after Edsa
revolution, but not during Noynoy time. If he meant it, he can do it this time he only
have to remove the padrino system in the government. Can he remove religious group
intervention not fearing the backlash in election time of his political friends? Can he fight
against congressmen and senators transactional intervention and endorsements as
padrinos? Can he remove pork barrel, which he himself has as a President, and amend the
distribution of government funds for public use, how do US government do it? Can he
remove the image of his administration quick to prosecute groups of not his friends, not
his kabarilan and not his kasama and ordinary citizens? Pnoy as our president should
answer these questions in media and put a scheme to do it but we as his BOSS (daw!)
should be informed. ARE WE REALLY HIS BOSS OR SOURCES OF FUNDS? If
we are his boss, he should listen to the clamor to remove pork barrel and let us see who
really are real public servants? Will these present senators and congressmen live as public
servants without the pork barrels?
Hunter says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:03 am

Was it better during Marcos, Ramos, Eraps or Glorias time?
Moi says:
August 21, 2013 at 10:06 am
You are right when you mentioned America. When we have the original
constitution which was fully based on the US constitution, Philippines was better
off at that time. Yet when the constitution was change by the self serving
politician everything becomes worst. If American can go away with Pork Barrel
and yet so well developed why cant we do it there in PH? Pinoy must abolish this
Pork Barrel and we will see that this Country of ours will be great again.
61.
Wlfredo Loriezo says:

August 21, 2013 at 9:18 am
According to our constitution the function of the three branches of our government is as
follows: Legislative, to make laws; Executive, to execute our laws; and the judiciary, to
interpret our laws. Where does it say that these senators and congressman has the
authority to disburse, use and spend our hard earned money? These oligarchs, actors,
actresses and entrenched political families should be banned from power. Now we are
getting the govt Quezon was talking about, a govt ran like hell by Filipinos. Congress
should be abolished. We need a good dictator to clean up these mess.
62.
jong says:
August 21, 2013 at 9:15 am
Will it take these definitions to get rid of the criminals and thieves that aspire to these
offices?
Philippine politicians = criminals and thieves
Philippine congress = criminals and thieves
Philippine political dynasties = criminals and thieves
Philippine cabinet members = criminals and thieves
Philippine law enforcers = enablers of criminals and thieves
Philippine justice system = enablers of criminals and thieves
I never wanted to generalize, but it seems that the associations are needed. Until I
actually see evidence to the contrary (that these offices actually work for all Filipinos), I
will have to assume that these are true.
I cannot bestow immediate honor and dignity to these offices because for the last one
hundred plus years, they have shown nothing worthy of it. On the contrary, they have
only perpetuated themselves in their criminality and theft. Honor, dignity and respect are
earned, and cannot be given to those that have none of it.
63.
nonoy says:
August 21, 2013 at 9:01 am
OUR LEGISLATORS ARE NOT WORTH DYING FOR. THEY ARE NOT REAL
FILIPINOS IN THE STRICTEST SENSE OF THE WORD BUT INCARNATED
BEELZEBUL.
Andrew Lopez says:

August 31, 2013 at 7:46 pm
A joke I heard more than 30 years ago:
A man was approached to donate 100 pesos to bury a local politician, and the
man answered: Heres 1,000 pesos, bury10 of them!
As you can see, politicians smelled as far back then! So,whats new?
64.
Orlando says:
August 21, 2013 at 8:58 am
Can we just lock all of the Senators and Congressmen in the august chambers of their
offices, throw away the key, and burn down the building? This will save a lot of our
taxpayers money in prosecuting them for their crimes, which Im sure they will all be
acquitted of, due to their money, power and connections.
65.
Apyot says:
August 21, 2013 at 8:58 am
Our country will remain poor to the very end because of these corrupt congressmen and
senators. They run for congress/senate because they have this motive of stealing money
from the taxpayers. They spend millions to buy votes and even do evil deeds just to win
in the elections. The ulterior motive is just to STEAL.. Most of our people suffer from
poverty and pollution because the money intended for the peoples basic services are
being stolen by these corrupt, power- hungry thieves.. Rubbish is everywhere in the
streets., rivers, and shorelineswhy???? because the lawmakers dont care at all.
The surroundings become worse, some roads have plenty of huge potholes, flooding is so
quick, crimes exist everywhere, and all. The poor has no option but to live in danger
zones at river banks and squats where livelihood is accessible why???? Its obvious!
The pork barrel intended to alleviate poverty and difficult situations are kept in the
pockets and bank accounts of these lawmakers.
I am really sad of what has happened to our country because of our evil lawmakers and
their cohorts. Our country has gone to the drain and It keeps on sinking all because of
misappropriation of funds and mismanagement of our lawmakers and politicians. So,
what can we do? What option do we have?
Abolish this pork barrel and see who are sincere in serving our fellow countrymen!
carmelita mangilit says:

August 26, 2013 at 4:06 am
God bless your courage!!The truth will set us free.Let us storm Heaven for a
change of heart of all those involved in giving pains to our poor countrymnen
66.
alfred says:
August 21, 2013 at 8:42 am
This is not a question anymore of being an official as elected by the people. This is
already a question of why they are allowing pork barrel to be given to congressmen
without giving any weight on the monitoring of their projects. It is like giving allowances
and tuition to student without checking if he/she is still going to school.
Hence, the problem is not merely at the pork barrel itself rather it is with how it was
given to the crocs.
67.
gsi says:
August 21, 2013 at 8:28 am
FYI, hindi lang tongressmen at senatongs ang mga magnanakaw sa bayan. Sa nakikita at
karanasan ko, halos lahat ng departamento ng gobyerno ay may kanya-kanyang paraan ng
pagnanakaw. Kahit na sa mga civilian entities, tulad ng mga property developers.
Nasa dugo at likas na sa karamihan sa pilipino ang pagiging mandurugas. Ipagdasal na
lang natin sila
68.
manny mina says:

August 21, 2013 at 7:53 am
yeah! who needs congress? BUT WHO HAS THE GALL AND HEART TO
EXTINGUISH IT they keep on saying that to put check and balance, the three branches
of government shall co-exist maybe in the ancient timnes, but todays present
circumstance, says that we no longer need congress, they are not just a big expense in our
budget, and yet. they become the biggest criminal syndicate for robbers, plunderers
abusive officials. can somebody file a bill for its abolition?
69.
Deomedes Genaro T. Martinez says:

August 21, 2013 at 7:44 am
A timely journal of Philippine History! As one of the many Leaders of this Country, how
would you like your name to be written and described on Philippine History books?
70.
Lerma Vergara says:

August 21, 2013 at 7:41 am
Thanks for your braveness to expose figures like this sir. I was once a bank employee for
ten years, rain or shine struggling to earn for a living with a meager amount and have to
budget what is left after tax. Often than not, most of us in those days always check our
loan balances w/c are salary, multipurpose, emergency, calamity loans every month in
order to renew again if we have paid at least 50% of the principal. Sometimes were
tempted to get from outside lending company with a 5% interest just to cope up with our
everday lives. Government employees envey our salaries most of the times cause they
have a much much lower than us and even have to trade their next salaries in order to
survive. Now as I go back to those days, my feelings is only a sigh,, hw we survived
those hard moments when our hard earned tax were only pocketed by those politicians
and empowered by their sefless ambitions.. the nerve they have!!!
71.
roland says:
August 21, 2013 at 7:39 am
A very brave commentary. I wish it will also be written in a language that most filipinos
understand if you want this to reach the big chunk of our population.
72.
Leonardo dela Cruz says:

August 21, 2013 at 5:32 am
Salamat po Ginoong Lopez sa expose ninyo. Mabuhay po kayo at sana dumami pa ang
mga taong may lakas ng loob na ilabas ang bulok na estilo ng mga politiko at mga
kakutsaba nila. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SIR!
73.
Ralph says:
August 21, 2013 at 4:43 am
If this PDAF was there for so many years and the lives of our majority countrymen were
not lifted for the better. Why abolish this so called pork barrel, maybe something good
will happen. No wonder many citizen of the Philippines had no trust and respect for the
three branches of government and their system. the question is whose to blame the
government or the citizen who vote for them?
tony says:
August 21, 2013 at 7:09 am
First of all, talking about the trust and respect for the three branches of
government is absolute. Notwithstanding, they exist anyway! Illiterate Juan dela
Cruz only abides major power of the government: Police, eminent domain and
Tax.
I believed this is not a question of whose to blame otherwise this logic will just
result to a chicken and egg. Like who come first the chicken or egg?
The important thing now is many illiterate Juan dela Cruz are now aware of the
garbage system of the government. Thus, Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAP).
Respect? I vote them to served. Abolish the pork barrel system now!
74.
Cee Dee says:

August 21, 2013 at 4:42 am
I used to welga during the Marcos time [era] because the incompetence of these public
servants that are supposed to alleviate the livelihood of the people. I was not ashamed to
be called a leftist because the truth was in front and no one bothered to complain except
for few people who knew the real faces of these politicians. I now live in US and all the
time reading the news about these senators, congressmen and their cohorts are still
lavishing the riches of the country. When are they going to stop? They are not. Sad to say
we can only write and scream in front of our computers because these politicians dont
have conscience. I leveled myself to make our country in Communism because the
punishment for these thieves are death [if they ever get caught]. The saddest part is that
more than half of our countrymen dont care they either dont bother because its not
their concern or people will just PRAY hoping that God will punish them. I dont think
these people believe in Acts of God or Fires of Hell. So, they keep on doing these
horrible acts of thievery. I love my country but I dont have sentiments to these
politicians who are siphoning the people in deepest poverty. They are good when they are
in jail or put them in public hanging as an example to those who are guilty. Our country
should have a default button for death penalty for the politicians if they steal money for
their own personal need [greed].
As for your article sir, I salute your bravery. We need people who are passionate for the
goodness of our country. Your article has been shared to my friends who feel the same
way as myself. Thank you.
75.
Romy Concepcion says:

August 21, 2013 at 3:17 am
Thank you for the article! You are a brave man. This really makes me sad and angry at
the same time. It is hard if not impossible to incriminate individual politician in congress
especially since many if not all of them are in it. But graft at this level continue to make
our country the sick man of asia. Filipinos will continue to work as domestic helpers and
laborers to our neighboring countries. We will continue to lag and not have strong
military capabilities to deter opportunistic neighbor countries.
This needs to stop and all of us need to show once again that we are angry and we will
not accept plunder by the very people entrusted to take care of the well being of our
country. The first step is already being voiced out by many: Abolish the source of
corruption, the pork barrel and prosecute and punish and seize the ill-begotten wealth of
the plunderers once proven guilty. Our congress appears to have failed terribly to protect
the interest of the country so the reason why they should continue is a big question that
needs to be answered.
76.
Bobby Aban Sr. says:

August 21, 2013 at 2:24 am
It is so much to worry. I am an OFW since 1980 up to the present, meaning I am one of
the 10 million OFW who keep on remitting our earning to these evil trusted senators and
congressmen and women. Every year that Im on my vacation I couldnt believe that the
poorer became poorer in spite of what our politicians are telling us that the economy is
getting better and better..I agree with you Mr. Tony Lopes, that they are ( senate and
congress ) the biggest criminal syndicate in our country. God forbid all of them for sure
will go to hell with their familiesfor our President, you need to show your real face to
us and follow the guts of Mr. Tony Lopes for letting us know the reality of our
government and not your government. Without us as a voter no one can take any seat in
any government position
77.
rdl21 says:
August 21, 2013 at 1:31 am
Sir, thank u for lighten us .. not all filipinoes like me know about this figures
Huge!..whoa!no wonder why theyre killing each other for a seat!..
78.
Wilson Figueroa says:

August 21, 2013 at 12:06 am
Mahal na Ginoong Tony Lopez,
Matagal-tagal na rin akong hindi nakikibalita tungkol sa Pilipinas magbuhat noon na
akoy lumisan 8 taon na ang nakakaraan. Isa sa pinakamabigat na dahilan ng aking
paglisan ay ang tila wala nang lunas sa nakakaawang kalagayan ng Pilipinas. Isa akong
ordinaryong mamayan na namuhay sa Pilipinas sa loob ng 50 taon Sa loob ng pahong
iyon ay mabibilang mo sa daliri (ng isang kamay) ang magagandang nangyari sa
Pilipinas. Isa ay and Edsa I, na nagbigay sa akin ng pag-asa na magbabago na ang takbo
ng Pilipinas,akos nagkamali ng akala. Ang pangalawa ay ang Edsa 2, na akala koy
magdudulot ng bagong pagasa. Akoy muling nabigo. Ang problema ng Pilipinas sa
katiwalian ay paulit ulit lang, iba-iba lang ang nasasangkot. May katotohan sa joke ni
Erap na weather weather lang yan. Kung sino ang nakaupo at may kakayahang
magnakaw, mahirap pigilan. Halos lahat naman ng gobyerno sa mundo ay may
katiwalian at pagnanakaw. Ang kaibahan lang, sa ibang bansa ang mga namumuno ng
gobyerno ay nagtatrabaho muna para lumago ang kabuhayan ng bansa at saka
magnanakaw ng paunti-unti, sa Pilipinas pagkaupo pa lang sa pwesto unang iniisip
pagupo ay kung papaano mapupuno ang sariling bulsa, bahala na ang kinbukasan ng
bansa. Para sa inyong kaalaman Ginoong Lopez, isa ka sa aking paboritong manunulat at
saludo ako sa iyong walang habas na pagbatikos sa katiwalian. 3 taon bago ako umalis sa
Pilipinas dumating ako sa puntong tumigil na ko sa pagbabasa at pakikinig ng balita na
puro nakakadismaya. Ang pakiramdam koy parang nahihiya na akong maging Pilipino.
Minarapat kong mangibang bansa noong 2005 at maligayang naninirahan ngayon sa isa
sa mayamang bansa sa kabilang dako ng mundo. Ang aking tanong sa sarili ay kung bakit
nagyayari ito! Dahil ba sa ang karamihan sa Pilipino ay utu-uto? Na kayang manipulahin
ng mayayamang pulitiko? Kailan pa kaya magigising ang ating mga kababayan? Akoy
matagal nang gising subalit kakaunti lang ang kapwa ko mulat. Paano mo tatalunin ang
mga utu-uto, eh mas nakakarami sila? Yung mga pinili pa rin nila ang mananaig sa lahat
ng eleksyon! Akoy nawawalan na ng pag-asa
iisanglahi@outlook.com says:
August 21, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Since marami sa mga Pinoy ang uto-uto at palaging showbiz at teleserye ang nasa
kokote, mas bagay dito sa atin ang Parliamentary form of government where the
voter gets to elect only his/her representatives, not the head of state. The less
elected government officials, the better with a citizenry like ours. This way,
showbiz people will most likely stay in show business and dynasties will die a
natural death.
The only problem is the change to another system of government will go through
the proverbial eye of the needle dahil sa dami ng mga buwaya magtutulong tulong
upang manatili ang kanilang Katasang Pambansa.
79.
Roland says:
August 20, 2013 at 11:57 pm
Thank you brave soul! This exposure will show to the public and to the world that the
Godfathers of the Mafia criminal syndicate are our senators and congressmen. They are
the most dangerous kind of criminals for they use deception to accomplish their criminal
act of looting the government coffers and robbing the peoples taxes. They are very
dangerous for they come as wolves in a sheeps clothing , deceiving the Filipino people
who trusted them, their words in every election. One reason that they encourage every
family member to run in public office. If you are a senator and your wife is a
congresswoman, or any member of the family is a mayor or governor, the amount that the
family can loot from the the national treasury is more than enough to make them
multimillionaires. So easy, less sweat, just being smart and the perfect formula of get rich
so quick is in politics. This is the reason why the Philippines could never reduce the
poverty level of the 60 million Filipinos. This is a battle worst than terrorism, for you are
dealing closely and trusting blindly the perceived enemies, through deception. These
politicians are the real enemies of the state, of the Filipino people. They are callous and
lack the moral leadership to lead this country. They are more than traitors and worst than
terrorists.
80.
kapitanvic1 says:
August 20, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Your headline Congress is the Philippines biggest criminal syndicate is wrong. It is the
WORLDs biggest criminal syndicate. Republic Act 6426 or the Foreign Currency
deposit act gave these scoundrels the courage to rub the treasury with reckless abundance
because they thought they can hide behind the shield they themselves created.
81.
jickie says:
August 20, 2013 at 6:39 pm
Thanks for this article sir..at least it would help me understand the effects this PDAF
would have had for the entire Nation if used properly. If we already have plenty of laws, I
suggest the present Congress initiate filing a final bill seeking its abolition which will
take effect the mid-night of December 24, 2013 so all Pinoys will have a true Merry
Christmas.
82.
Greg Santos says:

August 20, 2013 at 6:16 pm
Finally someone has the guts to expose these thieving governmental criminals.
It has been going on for many years. Why has no-one ever questioned the reason that
these politicians are prepared to spend millions of pesos to get elected if not as an
investment for the billions they will get once in office. Remember Miriam Satiagos
famous speech during the Corona impeachment where she stated why does the rest of
the world accuse the Philippine Government of being dishonest or to those words.
Unfortunately, after a few have been caught out, there is NO RECORD of them forfeiting
or returning the misappropriated funds. Marcoss, Arroyo, Corona, Estrada.
83.
renen says:
August 20, 2013 at 6:07 pm
Shame on us coz we keep voting to this people and their family in the govt
84.
revalca says:
August 20, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Kilala naman ni Bosing Pinoy mga yan at kasa kasama nya noong nasa senado pa sya (so
me lard din pala kamay ni bosing?) So dapat tugusin na nya mga yan? Gawin mo ang
dapat na matuwid na lagi mong sinasabi.Matatapos na termino mo?Wala pang naitutuwid
sa mga sinasabi mo.Puro ka press realease!!!!!Salamat Mr. Lopez sa artikulong ito.
GUILLERMINA BAUTISTA-PONTEJOS says:

August 22, 2013 at 9:46 am
wala po ata sa job prescription nya ang humabol ng criminal. pero pwede din
indrect na gumawa sya ng way para maitama ang mali. sya ang pangulo, dapat
iayos nya ang bansa, in the real sense
85.
Romeo D Mamisay says:

August 20, 2013 at 5:24 pm
We might as well rename Congress as THE HOUSE OF THIEVES or TONGGRESS!
Chat Potato says:

August 22, 2013 at 1:08 pm
house of representathieves and senathieves.
86.
Gloria Esplana says:

August 20, 2013 at 5:16 pm
Bunch of marauders/pirates at best raiding the government coffers intended to help their
constituents. Shame on you who allowing your greed and own agenda over the urgent
daily needs of constituents. Have you forgotten the the people elected you to represents
their needs to Congress so that they can have some sort of a relief from their flight of
poverty. You guys plundered and denied them of their inherent right to represented by the
person they elected and instead stole the aid that is rightfully belongs to them. SHAME
ON THE PEOPLE who helped pirate the government offers.
87.
Ed Gatchalian says:
August 20, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Dear Tony- thank you for this article and for the many views you have presented in your
career as a journalist. Somehow, I always feel safe ruminating on your thoughts as they
speak of truth. But this time, the truth really hurts. And the truth in this article makes me
feel so very, very sad. And if I am honest with myself, I have to include anger in my
emotions. I am now 70 years old. The first time I heard of Pork Barrel as a potential evil
was during the Presidency of Elpidio Quirino, way back in 1955. That was 58 years ago.
I was just wondering.if there was no Pork Barrel, we probably would be in a better
situation than we are in right now. Maybe there will be less poor. Maybe lives will be
more easily lived. Maybe we would not have become a nation of overseas serfs. Maybe
many families would have remained intact. Maybe many, many of our countrymen would
not have been killed during election campaigns.maybe.maybe.maybeit makes
me cryfor ourselvesour families and our nation. But the consolation I have is that
everyone of these criminals will really have their day in court. And it is called BEMA.
You can look up its meaning in the bible (2 Cor 5:10). The judge will be Jesus Christ.
And He has all the hard evidences. And the verdict will usher in a punishment that you
cannot imagine. God bless you, Tony.and may the Lord have mercy on our land.
88.
Cesar M. Gaffud says:

August 20, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Scrap the PDAF, the Dept. of Budget & Management who disburses the money must be
audited by a private competent accounting firm. In cooperation with COA every single
cent must be accounted for. They must come up with a more systematic, simplified, &
centralize disbursement of funds, no more allocation to any public or govt official. The
DBM must publish in newspapers, websites, etc. every expenditures on projects & the
like to substantiate the money disbursed. No more NGOs who obviously become the
milking cow & diverts the funds to unscrupulous politicians & government officials. The
bottom line here is Transparency & Accountability of every public servant.
dansoy says:
August 20, 2013 at 11:38 pm
I totally agree in your comment!

theres no greater time than now to have transparency & accountability on each
public servant.
we have the infrastructure and the skills to make this happen.
89.
Renato Romano says:

August 20, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Why cant we just address the elephant in the room (no pun intended) One of the reasons
the members of the houses need the PDAF is that it is needed to recoup the investment of
elections. To get elected based on past editions one has to buy air time, people, etc. etc. A
congressman needs about 100M to 200 million to get elected. A senator needs much
more because of the nationwide coverage.
They are not criminals because they have no intention in doing harm directly to the
people, it is mandated by law that they have these funds to protect their key interests
meaning their constituency (people who voted for them)it is an investment and any
person must recoup that investment. We the people actually made this mentality. So why
are we blaming them when we ourselves are at fault? When we sell our votes, when we
depend on TV ads and Newspaper Ads or Surveys to choose our candidates I cannot fault
them (congressmen and senators) In treating the peoples money as their money. It is
because we let them, or rather we perpetrated the money mentality that the more one
spends the more positive result that they are going to be elected. If we remove the PDAF,
how can they then recoup such financial expenditures.
Im only wondering why the congressmen do not make it a law The PDAF and make it
an exemption and criminal to question how it is expended, like make it a intelligence
expenditure that cannot be questioned.
90.
sallycdunn says:
August 20, 2013 at 4:34 pm
an elite crime at such a magnitude that we allow it to happen and dominate our poor
existence as filipinos?????
what are we going to do, where are our brilliant lawmakers, concerned citizens ? to read
this will blow anyones mind without having to get through the analogy of the
politics.or enough to get your stomach sick.
i remain baffled, confused and more frustrated and disappointed with our legal , political
system that these concerned well kept politicians no longer feel the need to validate the
privileges, its being made , given and condoned and maybe encouraged.
91.
ngitngitngpinoy says:
August 20, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Bawat araw na dumadaan lalong nagiging kapangi-pangilabot ang lahat ng rebelasyon na
lumalabas sa pahayagan. Ikinahihiya ko ang pagiging Pilipino at sagad sa butong
kawalanghiyaan ng bawat senador and kongresista na mayroong kinalaman sa
anomalyang ito. Nararapat na suportahan ng bawat mamayang Pilipino ang protesta ng
masa sa darating na Agosto 26. Patalsikin ang salot na mga senador at kongresista sa
pwesto!!! Dapat sa mga yan silaban ng buhay sa Plaza Miranda!!!
92.
Sooner41 says:
August 20, 2013 at 4:10 pm
Mafia criminal syndicate in the Philippines.
93.
ed1151 says:
August 20, 2013 at 3:57 pm
philippines is a hopeless case with inept and corrupt government officials appointed or
elected on the helm of governance. their souls are already burning in HELL!
94.
Reu Samaco says:

August 20, 2013 at 3:37 pm
How can educate our voters to choose for the right candidate?
95.
Rudy says:
August 20, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Mr. Lopez, I commend you for your brave commentary on what we Filipinos already
know in our guts as the corrupted state of governance in an impoverished nation we
dearly love. I hope the Lord keeps you safe, as the evil-doers do not appreciate shining
light on their crimes. Keep up the informative albeit dangerous work of enlightening the
Filipino that might lead to a formation of a movement, hopeully peaceful and non-violent
in order to affect positive change. As a Bhuddist-leaning non-devout catholic, my

adherence to political neutrality will be difficult indeed, to follow, should such a
movement miraculously sprout in our homeland.
96.
Grace Tomilloso Apostol Arabe says:

August 20, 2013 at 3:12 pm
We are created by God to be responsible to His creations! Makonsensya naman sana
kayohwag erroneous conscience, ha?
97.
arturo alindada says:

August 20, 2013 at 3:06 pm
I applaud you for this article. Please keep them coming expose all the dirt.
Wondering where we can see the listing of these NGOs, govt entities, involved and the
congressmen/senators that dealt with them, including what amounts. It would be good to
know who were the COA auditors handling each transaction.
98.
Efrain Felipe says:

August 20, 2013 at 2:33 pm
Let those without sin, cast the first stone Is the why no one is inquiring these
monstrous scam in the history of Philippine politics. Both Houses of Senatongs and
Tongressmen are keeping the lid tight but the stink is widespread. If shame is a virus,
we could get rid of these scammers quickly but unfortunately they got
the shameless immunity vaccine.
99.
Sheila V. Portal says:

August 20, 2013 at 1:45 pm
President Noy, what are you waiting for? Take action immediately. This is from one of
your Bosses. Walk your talk.
100.
Professor Vee DAVID says:
August 20, 2013 at 12:36 pm

INVITE their fall guy Ms. JANET LIM NAPOLES to at least send a video message on
26 August DAY OF NATIONAL OUTRAGE, or come incognito. Common sense tells us
she couldnt have eluded special elite teams of NBI and PNP without the overt cuddling
of a more powerful security force, out to prevent her from spilling the beans on senators
and congressmen. For one Janet NAPOLESacting aloneto have continuously fooled
senators and congressmen out of P10 billion over a space of 3-4 years, is contrary to
mathematical probabilities, unless there was conscious collaboration involving the
signature forgerer and the forgee. (Will be diving in the Apo Islands 22-24 August 2013
simply because theres more sense and decency among the tortoises, whale sharks, sting
rays and corals in the Deep.)
101.
henry samonte says:
August 20, 2013 at 12:13 pm

I have mentioned this before, our government is a big well organized Criminal Syndicate
compose of Filipino-Chinese. There financial resources is back up by Chinese Chamber
of Commerce and Chinese businesses.
mr.huang says:
August 21, 2013 at 9:52 am
Mr.Samonte dont blame this to filipino -chinese here in the philippinesi myself
is a filipino-chinese and as far as i know a lot of chinese like me now are
encountering a lot of hardshiponly some are are true to what you are sayingi
love my country bcoz here is where i was borni work all my life abroad, dont
you think it doesnt hurt me seeing a lot of filipinos who are suffering a lot right
now due to the unstoppable acts of thievery in the senate and congress.we
shouldnt blame the full account to the government but blame it to ourselves bcoz
of voting these HOOLIGANS in the governmenta lot of people have an
epedemic i called AMNESIA ..voters forget the past wrongdoing of these
people in an instantbut still vote for themPlease Mr..PRESIDENTbring
back the DEATH PENALTY for these corrupt officialsBut i will be sad if you
really do it.bcoz nobody will be left in the senate and congressthanks very
much Mr.LOPEZ for divulging these criminal activities of the people we trust to
help us.I hate CHINA but i love how they run their government and how they
punish their corrupt officialsHope our country still have hope to wake up and
do the right thing..GOD BLESS our COUNTRY.
102.
Ollie says:
August 20, 2013 at 12:08 pm

And also the biggest manufacturer/factory of KAPAL MUKS
103.
Vic Alcuaz says:
August 20, 2013 at 11:28 am

BULLSEYE Mr. Lopez!
104.
belen asuelo says:
August 20, 2013 at 11:22 am

grrr.grrrr.grrrsuper duper lawmakers..it is high time to abolish pork barrel..
105.
Cicero says:
August 20, 2013 at 10:59 am

Excellent article!
A common sense computation of PDAF and where it all goes is enough for the
voters/taxpayers to think a thousand times before electing a public official. I like the term
syndicate. It captures the reality of the existence of our Congress. It would also be fair
to assume that not all PDAF is released and went to the pockets of all legislators. There
are those who do not or choose not to receive their pork barrel. And with all the math, a
congressman or senator pockets at least 30% of his or her pork although some would get
as much as 80%.
Now is time to reform and set implementing rules of the PDAF. Pork barrel is necessary
because voters demand their elected legislators to have visible projects. Thats the rule.
Politics in this country is complicated. We cannot just abolish pork barrel. If there is
cockroach in the house you dont burn it, you simply clean it. But what if the cockroach
is the source of living of the owner of the house? Then, you have to have a set of
parameters to contain the cockroach so that it will not contaminate the food. Its the same
with porl barrel. Leni Robredos suggestion to reform the PDAF is better than totally
eliminating it.
106.
Herminio Geronimo says:
August 20, 2013 at 10:22 am

What an eye opener! Who will protect the Filipinos from them? How can we escape from
this? Ger
Orlando says:
August 21, 2013 at 9:08 am
We, the Filipino people can protect ourselves. We can do a French revolution
and gather these aristocrats and royalty and cut off their heads as the French
common people did to their royalty and aristocrats.
inky says:
August 21, 2013 at 11:31 am
If the Filipino people were to allow this critical issue to be swept under the rug by
the very same perpetrators who pretend to be their leaders, then Filipinos will
suffer a fate of their own choosing. They should not expect anyone to stand up for
them other than their own selves. Because of the extreme severity of the crime,
the vast number of those involved, and the stature of the perpetrators perhaps the
idea of bringing back the guillotine is not too far fetched. Abolition of the pork
barrel is not enough. The country needs a good political cleansing.
virgilio j. belcia says:

August 21, 2013 at 4:39 pm
We the people can protect ourselves, Senators are only 24 and Congressmen are
only 280 against us, we are 90 Million Filipinos. We can cut their head off easily.
They are the source of all the bitterness and miseries of our lifeHang this
people who enriched their self thru our taxes from our hard earn money.
107.
Andy R Samson says:
August 20, 2013 at 10:06 am
Tony Lopez has finally written a piece I could read to appreciate; finally living to write
and not writing to live! I can now put to the back burners my memories of those dark
days during the Reign of Greed. Tony never ID me while I worked behind the scenes for
Kuya Cesar as my then deputy represented someone bigger than life. Mabuhay Tony
Lopez and may you continue to write in your in your inimitable way of straight in your
face. Sammy63.
108.
Kazuo Daitatsu says:
August 20, 2013 at 8:19 am

The Philippines country is a kleptocracy, a nation governed by thieves.
109.
Saturnino R. Mendinueto, Jr. says:
August 20, 2013 at 7:39 am

Mr. Lopez, it is the Philippine Government from the President, Congress, Judiciary down
to Barangay that is the biggest CRIMINAL SYNDICATES in the world. We should
change our government and follow the advised of former DFA Secretary Raul Manglapus
to Pres. Cory to ban former politicians from Marcos era to run/ appointed for any position
in the government for 50 years. Now I suggest, ban all present government officials and
families, elected or appointed, from holding any office for 100 years. This is the only way
we can have CHANGE.
110.
Virgil Maravillas says:
August 20, 2013 at 7:10 am

Bro,
Please be careful, you might be creating a lot of enemies but we need another Jose Rizal.
If you will not lead, shall we wait for another 300 years to correct the Graft and
Corruption in the Philippines?
I will support you on your drive. Keep up the good work. Please send a message on how I
could be best to support you. I am here in the L A CA USA. and very Active with The
Free and Accepted Mason, we are advocating to change the Graft and Corruption in the
Philippines.
111.
brvillarama says:
August 20, 2013 at 4:21 am

Thank you for courageously writing it.
112.
Inocent says:
August 20, 2013 at 3:01 am

Come to think of it, Mr. Lopez. During the much cursed and demonized Gloria Arroyo
administration, it is made fact that there were many, many project which were
accomplished, lots of these were infrastructures which turned out to help the common
folks, indirectly and directly. These accomplishments were and are never denied by the
current administration considering that when our current leader took over, he even took
credit and accomplishment of several of these projects. Yet as being reported by this
COA Special Audit, our legislators and government officials, even ordinary folks made
lots of money c/o the Pork during those days. Can you imagine how much and more
money the current legislators, government officials and ordinary citizens made during
this BS Aquino administration which so far, have not shown any worthwhile
accomplishment? No wonder PNoy has lots and lots of allies. These legislators,
government officials, politicians had not have it so good during this administration. Lets
go figure.
113.
Abraham says:
August 20, 2013 at 2:27 am

You are a brilliant writter. You show us the facts. It is very clear. Thank you for your
article and your newspaper. Isaiah 1:23-your princess are rebellious, and companion of
thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the
fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
joemar says:
August 21, 2013 at 2:34 am
The heart of corruption is our corrupt government Supposed leaders people are
mandated to followinstitutional thievesneed to cut it off by all meanseven
if we have to start again as a nation.
114.
ford mustang says:
August 21, 2013 at 2:25 pm

i commend you on this mr. lopez and senator lacson for this patriotic move youve done
for our country if this source of corruption be abolished totally.
Comments are closed.
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Congress is the Philippines biggest criminal syndicate

August 20, 2013 1:24 am

151 Responses to Congress is the Philippines biggest criminal syndicate

Ceasar Jose says:

Mon Babasa says:

Jay Alvarez says:

Conrad Frisco says:

Era pater says:

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John Machiavelli says:

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Andrew Lopez says:

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agnes hardy says:

Cesar Giron says:

myrna a. lopez says:

I agree to the above recommendation exempt all common Filipinos(excluding

Former Filipino says:

Andrew Lopez says:

September 9, 2013 at 9:53 am

Andrew Lopez says:

Pnoy Ang Dugo Ko says:

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Andrew Lopez says:

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Julie Ludlow says:

TITO FERNAN says:

Andrew Lopez says:

August 30, 2013 at 10:06 am

Terry Kilburg says:

Amelia Sebastian Uy says:

BLAS TEMPLONUEVO says:

MAHINTO ITO.KUNG ANG MGA NAKURAKOT NA PERA AY IBINILI NG

jun diez says:

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ayrocindemi l. medrano says:

Johmy Fajilan says:

It is always easy to make general accusations and sweeping recommendations. I need

Ellie Javier says:

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Chito Manayon says:

Andrew Lopez says:

poltical dynastes! Something is better than nothing,as Gen.Pancho Villa of

Andres Dera says:

August 21, 2013 at 10:03 am

Wlfredo Loriezo says: