Filipino workers have welcomed the historic decision taken by the Philippines Supreme Court declaring the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), also known as the “pork barrel fund,” as unconstitutional.

The PDAF is widely perceived as a source of corruption among politicians and officials, including law-makers from the Senate and the Congress.

According to the Philippine Commission on Audit (COA), the top five senators who are said to have exploited the PDAF gave 1.45 billion pesos (SR124.9 million) to NGOs between 2007 and 2009.

The ruling comes as Congress considers tapping the unused PDAF for this year to boost funds for humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts in the Visayas, which was ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda and the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

The PDAF is the official name of the congressional “pork barrel.”

The ruling also comes amid public outrage over allegations that some politicians had embezzled the fund through dubious non-government organizations linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

After the controversy erupted, President Aquino ordered the abolition of the PDAF in its present form.

Commenting on the issue, Rashid Arañas Fabricante, a veteran international advocate for Filipino workers, told Arab News that 12 million Filipinos left the country because they could not find decent jobs, while billions in government funds were siphoned by officials.

“One of the twin evils of our cursed political landscape, the PDAF and the political dynasty, which have both brought this country to its knees since it became a republic, has been eradicated. The Philippines is known to be the laggard of Asia, with 12 million productive citizens living as ‘economic exiles’ working and living overseas and where democracy is defined as “buying and selling votes,” Fabricante said.

“We call for passing SB 1906 without delay and redeeming the Senate as an institution,” he said.