OFW Family Club party-list Rep. Roy Señeres INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Stop bickering—that was the appeal of a migrant rights group to two neophyte congressmen representing the partylist group Overseas Filipino Workers Family Club who were fighting over pork barrel allocations.
Members of Migrante-Middle East and North Africa (M-MENA) said that instead of bickering on how to spend their respective Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations, Representatives Johnny Revilla and Roy Señeres should just join them in pushing for its abolition.
“We challenge Congressmen Señeres and Revilla to join the anti-pork barrel campaign DEPORK. We will be more than happy to see them side-by-side, their clinched fists raised along us, and together push the campaign for the abolition of all forms of pork allocations,” said M-MENA coordinator John Leonard Monterona.
Revilla assailed Señeres on Thursday for moving to allocate both of their congressional pork barrel allocations strictly for overseas Filipino workers, the primary constituency of their partylist group.
Señeres, the founder and chair of the OFWFC, earlier wrote Speaker Feliciano Belmonte “strongly” recommending that his group’s combined pork barrel be set aside for three agencies for “welfare assistance and protection of OFWs.”
Since the OFWFC won two seats, the amount would hit P140 million because Señeres and Revilla were entitled to P70 million each.
Revilla said Señeres offered his allocation without consulting him.
“The two gentlemen … are detached from the constituencies they claimed to represent who are also demanding for the abolition of all forms of pork allocations including that of the President,” said Monterona in a statement.
“If they really represent the OFWs and their families, they should heed on the call of the OFWs who, along other sectors and civic organizations, are for the abolition of pork barrel,” he added.