Whoever said that the midterm election in May 2013 is a referendum on the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd is obviously not referring to the election of members of the House of Representatives.

It’s useless—mindless even—to vote for a congressional candidate based on his or her party affiliation. It’s a given that after the election, majority of the winners would be joining the administration party or the administration coalition anyway.

There’s only one reason for the “pilgrimage” of congressmen to the administration party—pork barrel. “Pork,” especially tons of it, is definitely good for a politician’s health. Those against the administration know how difficult it is to get Malacañang approval for the release of funds for their pet projects.

Any politician will tell you that his or her political survival depends primarily on the delivery of projects to his or her constituency. Malacañang knows this vitalness of “pork” to politicians. In fact, it has been using this knowledge to the hilt in pushing for its own agenda—the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (who was forced to resign) and Chief Justice Renato Corona and the approval of the Reproductive Health bill. My prediction in July 2010 has been holding true: the “straight path” and reform agenda of the Aquino administration will not involve the abolition of the “pork.”

This use (misuse) of the “pork” is again evident in the case of (ex?) Rep. Arlene Bag-ao of the Malacañang-favored Akbayan party-list. Malacañang hastily approved the release of P140 million for Dinagat Island in her care while a number of district congressmen were pining for a few millions of pork. She was being hypocritical in deriding “pork” after receiving and disposing of P140-million worth of pork in Dinagat where she’s running for Congress. Bag-ao, who’s being supported by a side of the bitterly divided Ecleos, could have refused to receive that largesse. That she received the P140 million merely meant she knew the importance of “pork” in a political campaign.

Some are advocating the abolition of “pork” which they consider a source of graft and corruption. If “pork” is abolished, then the funds will go to the Department of Public Works and Highways. Hey, wait a minute! Isn’t the DPWH one of the most graft-ridden agencies of the government? The DPWH will most certainly prefer big projects to those costing about P50,000 each that some “porks” are funding in the countryside. And, would the DPWH know better than the district congressmen what are the immediate needs of the districts?

I prefer “pork” to remain. Many lawmakers have been using their “pork” judiciously,” like Sen. Franklin Drilon. However, Malacañang should stop using it as a political tool. Release of funds should be done fairly, for friend or foe alike.

New Chinese law on the elderly
A news report about a new Chinese law about the elderly has caught my attention. The new law passed by the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, requires adult children to visit their aging parents often or risk being sued by them.

The new Chinese law came amid reports that an increasing number of elderly parents are being abandoned or ignored by their children. Here’s part of the report from USA Today: “The expansion of China’s elderly population is being fueled both by an increase in life expectancy—from 41 to 73 over five decades—and by family planning policies that limit most families to a single child. Rapid aging poses serious threats to the country’s social and economic stability, as the burden of supporting the growing number of elderly passes to a proportionately shrinking working population and the social safety net remains weak.”

Essentially, this law means children should not leave everything to the government when it comes to caring for elderly parents. Definitely, the government can’t take care of everything and everybody. It also seeks a return to the old custom where the elderly are revered and where the cohesiveness of the family is unquestioned.

Here in the Philippines, we have the Senior Citizens Act and measures seeking to benefit the elderly like those on Aging Centers proposed by Sen. Edgardo J. Angara and his son, Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara, House Bill 6133 by Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica of Bulacan which seeks to institutionalize long-term care and services for senior citizens, and HB 6681 authored by Rep. Godofredo V. Arquiza (Party-list, Senior Citizens) which seeks to grant senior citizens a 20-percent percent discount for their professional license and driver’s license fees; business license and permit fees that are being collected by the government.

In the long run, however, it’s still the care, love and attention of children that most elderly parents long for.

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