AMID the controversies hounding the use of lawmakers’ “pork barrel,” Vice President Jejomar Binay has justified the use of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for 2012.

Binay said that his assistance fund was utilized to provide senior citizens’ centers, scholarships, social services and medical assistance to indigent families, especially in fourth to sixth class municipalities.

The Vice President said that he allocated P100 million for the construction, or repair of 300 senior citizens’ centers nationwide.

The centers serve as venues for assemblies, recreational and sports activities and medical missions for the elderly, he added.

“Tungkulin ng pamahalaan na pangalagaan ang kapakanan ng bawat sektor sa lipunan [It is the responsibility of the government to protect the welfare of every sector of the society],“ he said.

Binay’s office also allocated P18 million from the first tranche of its PDAF for its scholarship grant-in-aid program to poor but deserving college students.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP), in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education, currently extends a P9,000-annual educational assistance to 1,160 scholars.

The office aims to provide scholarship grants to 20 scholars for each of the 110 State Colleges and Universities nationwide.

The OVP has also joined forces with the Technical Skills Development Authority or Tesda, the Department of Labor and Employment, and local government units to provide technical nonformal education training.

Binay also said that his office allotted P20 million from its PDAF to extend assistance to indigent families affected by typhoons and other calamities.

In 2012, Binay’s office distributed 161,868 bags of food items nationwide. Binay even personally led some of the relief operations that his office conducted.

Recently, Binay flew to Mindanao to assess the damage and extend assistance to those affected by typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha). Binay’s office gave away 5,000 bags of goods in Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur and Compostela Valley.

The Vice President’s office and the government of Makati also sent a team to conduct medical missions over two days in Monkayo, Compostela Valley and Cateel, Davao Oriental as part of continued relief efforts.

Meanwhile, Binay’s office earmarked P42 million to extend health assistance as well as purchase medical equipments for beneficiaries in fourth to sixth class municipalities.

“We want to reach out to our kababayans who could not afford to go to hospitals for their check up or to buy medicines,” Binay said.

The OVP also allotted P10 million for livelihood assistance and another P10 million for the purchase of school materials for indigenous people and students in calamity stricken areas.

Congress provided OVP with P200 million in PDAF. The Department of Budget included the amount in the regular budget of Binay’s office.