AS Christmas draws near, a high-ranking oppositionist leader yesterday said Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad should show mercy to the senior citizens whose supply of free maintenance drugs has stopped as a result of his alleged continued failure to release the pork barrel of opposition lawmakers.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay said Abad should ensure that all entitlements of members of the House of Representatives are released on time because many poor and innocent people are depending on it.

Magsaysay said Abad must respect the rights of senior citizens by ensuring that maintenance drugs will remain available to them for free.

Magsaysay, whose first tranche of her pork barrel fund in the amount of P35 million has remained unreleased, said the lives of senior citizens are now in peril with the continued nonrelease by Abad of their pork barrel funds.  

“Even senior citizens will lose their supply of free maintenance medicines. We should not put their lives in danger,” said an irate Magsaysay.