Pork barrel

Call me ignorant, but I did not know what exactly the pork barrel was until this year. Sure, I had an idea of what it was, but I never bothered to actually read the newspaper definitions. It wasn't until GMA started calling on the public to practice measures of austerity that I finally understood what the pork barrel was exactly. And my first reaction upon reading the definition was,

"What? The government has an allocation for local projects?"

Which projects? Where? When? I have lived in the Philippines all my life and I have yet to see one project. Okay... that is an exaggeration. I see a lot of waiting sheds. And open manholes on the streets. Murals on the walls. Oh, and let us not forget -- the numerous street repairs that coincidentally take place near election time. But I have always assumed that those were from the politician's own pockets, in an effort to advertise himself. Fine, fine... let's consider them as projects na rin. So, that's it? Those are the billion peso projects that the pork barrel was budgeted for? Amazing.

The reason I am so irked with this issue is because of an Inquirer article I read this morning. Polls show that Pinoys are against the pork barrel. To my understanding, polls are surveys conducted by the people, for the people. Simply put, it is the people who are against the pork barrel. But one insistent (read: moronic) congressman declares that the pork barrel is nothing to be ashamed of. He insists that his constituents are actually in favor of pork. Maybe his constituents coincidentally comprised the 16% polled who were in favor of pork. Or maybe his constituents thought they were being asked to choose between beef or pork.

Why is the insistent (read: moronic) congressman being so defensive? Nobody is saying that the pork barrel is something to be ashamed of. Heck, I am in favor of the pork barrel -- as long as I see the projects happening. And when I say projects, I do not mean another waiting shed. Or colorful but useless street lamps. Or another park beside the very scenic Pasig River. Or putting up banners with your names plastered all over them. No. By projects, I mean these:

a. Road repairs with a purpose. Except for the new NLEX, I cannot think of any street in Luzon that does not have potholes built in it.
b. School supplies for public school students -- and do not put your face and name on them.
c. Year round feeding programs for the poor.
d. Throw in some contraceptives too.
e. Round the clock barangay tanods and policemen patrolling the streets at night.
f. Ergonomic and durable housing for the poor.
g. Tree planting and landscaping on the islands

In another article, I read that some group of politicians donated a portion of their pork barrel to the Quezon victims. Doesn't the pork barrel come from the people? Can you actually donate something that is not yours? Somebody please answer me.