The pork barrel scam has always been a very sensational issue which erupted on July of 2013. Many people did raise their eyebrows at anyone upon hearing such issue. But some just don’t care anyway. So, what really makes this issue ring the bell among all the Filipino people of this time? What is pork barrel? Is it a bane or boon? Pork barrel has been interchangeably used with PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund).
Pork barrel is a political slang used to describe a government appropriation, bill or policy that supplies funds for local improvements. Under the pork barrel system, each branch of the government (legislative, judiciary and executive) has its own pork barrel allocation. The controversy however, has centered more on the legislative’s pork barrel.
The pork barrel’s history can be traced back in the pre-Civil War period, where its possible origin can be traced among three practices: (1) The practice of the landowner setting aside a definite portion of salted pork in wooden barrels for their black slaves, (2) the practice of American farmers in preserving pork in barrels in anticipation of hardships of winter, when the pork was shared with their needy neighbors and (3) that it comes from an old adage “Bring home the bacon. ” Pork barrel couldn’t just simply be pork barrel without the scam at the end which makes it clamor for public attention.
Pork barrel has never been new to the Philippine society. As a matter of fact, this law has been introduced in the Philippine government in the year 1922. This so called fund was established as a public fund intentionally for public purposes, like building of public infrastructures, schools, health assistance, livelihood assistance, scholarships and the like. However, the things that are supposedly allocated for some better purpose goes nowhere but in the many deep pockets of our corrupt politicians.
The Essay on Pork Barrel
... Assistance Fund has always been a scam. Filipinos were just too dumb to realise it over the last three decades. Indeed, the pork barrel, ... to that question, here are some information about pork barrel. Pork barrel is the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or ... the execution of those laws (and the use of public funds to do so) to the Executive Branch. That is why ...
All of these things all boil down to the term pork barrel spending. This term pertains to the unwise, improper and unjust spending of the pork barrel in the hands of these dirty politicians, which lead to the pork barrel scam. As we all know, from the very beginning that the government was solely made for the people, by the people to the people. Therefore this improper spending of the pork barrel has legitimately defied all the principles of what true governance is. Therefore, this act is painstakingly an immoral act.
Basing it from the social teachings of the church, such people are in their authority to lead and not to exploit and most especially to serve and not to abuse. These people exploit the money that the people pay as taxes, which in return nothing goes back to the one who must benefit it, which in this case the act of this spending can be none other termed as stealing. I believe that the idea of pork barrel is a system that could help alleviate the condition of the poorest among the poor in the society or it is something that can make the society a better place to live; in that is a given fact.
This is made to help the people, the society and the country to be the best of it can. However, in the hands of the dirty politicians, this kind of systems turns out to be immoral for this goes nowhere but in the own pockets of the greedy crocodiles. Therefore, I conclude that this is no longer a great a help in our society since this system grows a generation of politicians the turns out to be selfish, greedy and the worst monsters. Which makes this pork barrel simply BANE.
