President Aquino Wednesday called on opposition lawmakers to sacrifice some of their pork barrel allocations this year and support the administration’s austerity plans due to its cash problems.

The President assured that once the public finances improve, all lawmakers would get their appropriate share in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Mr. Aquino made the appeal after some lawmakers reportedly complained that the P10.6 billion in pork barrel funds for the year were recalled by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Budget and Management.

The funds, according to budget authorities, should only reportedly be released if there are corresponding revenue measures identified by Congress.

“Our allies also have not been getting new allocations primarily because we are trying to have austerity given the very tight fiscal position of the government and what was left to us,” the President said in a press briefing at the Palace.

“And we would ask the members of the minority who did not receive portions of their allocations before to join us in this necessary sacrifice at this point in time. And once the fiscal position is eased, then everybody will be getting their appropriate shares,” he added.

Considering the government's limited budget, President explained that the P10.6-billion allocation for congressional initiatives for the year is merely being reviewed if they are necessary and urgent.

Of the P1.5-trillion national budget for 2010, he said, his administration is left with P500 billion, the bulk of which are obligations for debt payments.

“We’re trying to exercise prudence in spending, given that we’re trying to manage the deficit. The P10-billion pork allocations are being reviewed, if I’m not mistaken, they’re being reviewed as to necessity and urgency,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said the government is still looking for funds to help provinces hit by the typhoon Ondoy.

"There are certain areas, I understand, that are still flooded due to Ondoy because there has been no way for the water that was there to get out. So we would need funds to address that, the engineering concerns,” he said.

He recalled that when he was a member of the opposition in Congress, he was also not given any allocation since 2005 and “I have not claimed back pay.”