Trillanes the Trapo

Newsbreak reports that when Sen. Trillanes was campaigning, he promised not to avail of pork barrel funds and has just broken that campaign pledge.

"Just more than a month ago, Senator Trillanes broke that campaign pledge.

He asked for the release of P100 million of his pork barrel, citing projects that included help for poor patients and infrastructure. His lawyer and chief of staff Reynaldo Robles confirmed that Trillanes indeed made that request despite a previous declaration that he would not touch his pork. He changed his mind, Robles said, upon the advice of “people from the Senate, his consultants, and myself.” If he didn’t use it, Robles reasoned out, somebody would.

Surely Trillanes knew that long before he was elected senator, that if he didn’t use his pork somebody would? What was he thinking when he made that campaign pledge, that he could justify breaking it as long as the situation called for it? For that seems to be his emerging track record now, justifying everything—including a sloppy tactical plan at The Pen—as long as he felt that the situation called for it."

Note: I am not saying that pork barrel allocations or using pork barrel funds is bad. I think there are valid arguments for allowing pork barrel allocations. I'm just sick of people basically using pork barrel allocations as the symbol of all that is wrong in Philippine politics, yet use them when they are elected into office. If they are wrong per se, then, even if you are doing good projects, then you are contributing to a higher evil.