The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was a discretionary fund in the Philippines available to members of Congress. Originally established as the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) in 1990, it was designed to allow legislators to fund small-scale infrastructure or community projects which fell outside the scope of the national infrastructure program, which was often restricted to large infrastructure items. [1]
The PDAF was commonly called the "pork barrel", and was the subject of much public criticism following exposés on abuses perpetuated by members of Congress on use of the fund in 1996 and 2013.
On November 19, 2013, the Supreme Court declared the PDAF unconstitutional, thereby abolishing it. [2]
Pork barrel, or simply pork, is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to direct expenditures to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English, and it indicates a negotiated way of political particularism.
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr., better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016, He is the current president pro tempore of the Senate, having been elected for the second time in 2024 and previously holding the position from 2007 to 2013, He briefly became the Acting Senate President in 2013 after Juan Ponce Enrile's resignation, Before serving in the Senate, he was the vice mayor (1988–1992) and later mayor (1992–2001) of San Juan when it was still a municipality.
The Philippine Savings Bank is a savings bank based in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Metrobank and is the 2nd-largest savings bank in the Philippines after BPI Family Savings Bank.
Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. and commonly known as Bong Revilla, is a Filipino actor, director, producer, television presenter and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016.
People's Initiative is a common appellative in the Philippines that refers to either a mode for constitutional amendment provided by the 1987 Philippine Constitution or to the act of pushing an initiative allowed by the Philippine Initiative and Referendum Act of 1987. The appellative also refers to the product of either of those initiatives.
Conchita Carpio-Morales is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman, she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, served in the Lower Courts, as well as in the Department of Justice. She has secured appointments from five Philippine presidents: Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III.
Candido P. Pancrudo Jr. is a Filipino politician. A member of the Lakas-CMD, he was a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Bukidnon from 2007 to 2010.
Teofisto "TG" de Lara Guingona III, or more commonly known as "TG," is a lawyer and the son of former vice president Teofisto "Tito" Guingona Jr. He was a congressman of the 2nd District of Bukidnon during the 13th and 14th Congress from 2004 to 2010 and a senator of the Philippines during the 15th and 16th Congress from 2010 to 2016.
Oscar "Oca" Gonzales Malapitan is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the representative from the 1st District of Caloocan in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2013. He also served as Mayor of Caloocan from 2013 to 2022, Vice Mayor of Caloocan from 2001 to 2004, and City Councilor from 1992 to 1998. He also unsuccessfully ran for representative in 2001. He is currently a member of the Nacionalista Party.
Arrel Reyes Olaño, is a Filipino politician. He has been elected to three terms as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Davao del Norte. First elected in 2001, he was re-elected in 2004 and 2007. Olaño is also a certified public accountant.
Constantino "Tinnex" Galagnara Jaraula is a Filipino politician who served as Mayor of Cagayan de Oro from 2007 to 2010. He served as representative of Cagayan de Oro's at-large congressional district during the 11th, 12th, and 13th congresses.
In political science, political particularism is the ability of policymakers to further their careers by catering to narrow interests rather than to broader national platforms.
Arthur Bardillon Robes is a Filipino politician and the current mayor of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Robes also served as the former Representative of the lone district of San Jose del Monte for three consecutive terms from 2007 to 2016. He is married to the current Representative of San Jose del Monte, Florida "Rida" Perez-Robes. Robes has a degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Marketing at the San Sebastian College – Recoletos.
Greco Antonious Beda Banta Belgica is a Filipino politician who most recently served as chairman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) under the Duterte administration from March to October 2021.
The Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, also called the PDAF scam or the pork barrel scam, is a political scandal involving the alleged misuse by several members of the Congress of the Philippines of their Priority Development Assistance Fund, a lump-sum discretionary fund granted to each member of Congress for spending on priority development projects of the Philippine government, mostly on the national level.
Janet Lim-Napoles is a Filipina businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) Scam. She was convicted of plunder for her involvement in the PDAF Scam and is facing charges for alleged involvement in the misuse of the Malampaya fund for disaster response operations.
The Million People March at Luneta was the first of a series of protests in the Philippines calling for the total abolition of the Pork Barrel fund, triggered by public anger over the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. Initial calls circulated through social media to convene a protest on August 26, 2013, at Luneta Park in Manila as well as other cities nationwide and overseas. Some media commentators consider this as the first ever massive rally in the Philippines called and organised mostly through social media channels.
Ibarra "Barry" M. Gutierrez III is a Filipino lawyer, activist and educator who formerly served as the spokesperson of then-Vice President Leni Robredo. He is also a law professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law, a public interest and human rights lawyer, and a former congressman.
The Disbursement Acceleration Program in the Philippines is a "special" budget allocated to accelerate or hasten a government project without Congress or Senate's approval. This replaces the traditional pork barrel, the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), after the Pork barrel scam was uncovered in 2013.
Conrado Masonsong Estrella III is a Filipino politician serving as the Secretary of Agrarian Reform since June 30, 2022. He was previously one of the deputy speakers of the 18th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco.