Funds to military hospitals unreleased
Mindanao war casualties being ignored, says Trillanes
Office of Senator Antonio F. “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV
PRESS RELEASE
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said casualties of the war in Mindanao are being ignored by the government with the delayed release of his 2007 and 2008 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation intended for military hospitals.
Trillanes has waived the P100-million PDAF allocation for ‘hard’ or infrastructure projects to be consistent with his campaign commitment. His office is awaiting the release of the P100 million allocation for ‘soft’ or healthcare/educational assistance projects. Military hospitals of the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center will receive a total of P29 million from this fund.
This month alone 26 soldiers have been reportedly wounded from recent encounters with Moro rebels in the Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur provinces.
“There’s obvious demand for medical services in light of the heightened conflict in Mindanao,” said Trillanes. “GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) herself put these men and women in the line of fire as a result of her failed peace policies. If she cannot help them, she shouldn’t stand in the way of those who want to.”
Each senator is supposed to be entitled to P200 million for either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ projects. However, most opposition senators have not received PDAF allocations after allegations of electoral fraud against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, based on wiretapped phone conversations with then-elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano that were leaked in 2005.
Trillanes had earlier waived his 2007 PDAF allocation as an election campaign promise. But since half was already allocated upon assuming office, he directed the P100 million to public hospitals nationwide and the construction of school buildings.
“If the said amount would not be programmed, it would be like giving GMA a P100-million blank check,” he said in an earlier statement.
Unused pork barrel funds are redirected to the national treasury and may be drawn by the Office of the President.
Other would-be beneficiaries of Trillanes’ 2008 PDAF include indigent patients of government hospitals nationwide (P70,500,000) and school assistance programs (P5,500,000).
To be transparent, Trillanes has posted all his funded projects at his official website, senator.trillanes.org.
END
2007:
V. Luna Medical Center: 5,000,000.00
2008:
Philippine Army
FT Bonifacio General Hospital: 1,000,000.00
FT Magsaysay Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp M dela Cruz Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Capinpin Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Peralta Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Lukban Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Evangelista Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Kuta Sang-an Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Singco Stn Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Philippine Air Force
Air Force General Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Philippine Navy
Manila Naval Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cavite Naval Hospital: 1,000,000.00
AFP Medical Center
V Luna Medical Center: 5,000,000.00
Fort del Pilar Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp. Aquino Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Nakar Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Ricarte Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Lapulapu Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Panacan Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
Cp Navarro Gen Hospital: 5,000,000.00
Cp Asturias Jolo Station Hospital: 1,000,000.00
TOTAL: P29,000,000.00