TJ Burgonio of the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that Senate President Franklin Drilon has decided not to give Christmas bonuses to his colleagues this season to avoid "a repeat of last December's controversy involving bonuses that became the casus belli of the year-long conflict between Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago."
The report noted, however, that most senators seem to have no problem with Drilon's decision. In particular, senators Grace Poe and Antonio Trillanes IV said the absence of Christmas bonuses and 13th month pay " would serve the Senate better, as the public demands honest lawmaking in the wake of the P10-billion pork barrel scandal."
Earlier this year, the Senate was rocked by rumors that certain lawmakers channeled their pork barrel funds to bogus non-government organizations created by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. Senators decided to waived their pork barrel for the rest of the year after the scam was publicized in July.
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