Six mayors in the second district of Pampanga, along with the provincial governor, stood as a group on Saturday to defend former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from insinuations made by President Benigno Aquino III that their towns were recipients of calamity funds in “shocking quantities” towards the end of the Arroyo administration.

The town executives — Mayors Eduardo D. Guerrero of Floridablanca, Mylyn P. Pineda of Lubao, Ricardo Rivera of Guagua, Yolanda M. Pineda of Sta. Rita, Condralito P. de la Cruz of Porac and Josefina C. Leoncio of Sasmaun — said several years of follow-up with the former Arroyo administration resulted in the approval by the Department of Budget of Management (DBM) of some P105 million in mostly flood-control projects in their flood-prone barangays, but the DBM has not released any of these funds yet.

Mayor Pineda of Lubao, speaking for the group, said although their constituents need these projects badly because of the coming rainy season, they are willing to forgo these funds if President Noynoy Aquino thinks he could use the money for some other more priority projects.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, meanwhile, defended former President Arroyo from insinuations that a particular district in Pampanga has benefitted immensely from the calamity funds.