Are Filipinos ready to take to the streets?
SO much has been said and written in mainstream and social media about the obvious attempt to cover up the anomalous and irregular process in the filing of the Bicameral Conference Report. To this day, the honorable politicians in the House of Representatives have so far refused to show proof that it was not prostituted for their personal gains at the expense of our people.
The discovery of blank items in the final report is akin to finding one’s savings bank book simply getting a summary of one’s deposits and withdrawals without the details. And if this happens, it is the right of the depositor to demand from the bank management to explain how the absence of the details came about. Hence, the demand for answers by several legislatures.
When even the President’s sibling pointed out the unfilled data, there can be no doubt that in anybody’s mind that, indeed, someone’s filthy fingers were caught inside the cookie jar.
But nobody from the Marcos government cares to explain.
What makes the whole issue a case for serious concern is because of the timing and the fact that it is the first time that the scandalous irregularity happened before the campaign period for the 2025 midterm elections.
It didn’t help that the initial draft of the bicameral conference report showed glaring violations of the constitution that mandates how the national budgets should be framed. The most glaring of which was making the budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways far higher than the budget for the Department of Education. Then there was the unprecedented zero budget for the PhilHealth, a vital and critical government service for the health and welfare of Filipinos, and an unprecedented level of funds for ‘ayuda’ programs?
It also didn’t help any that the Marcos government simply did a band-aid solution to resolve the discrepancy after the violations were pointed out. To simply make Education appear as having the recipient of the most funds, the Marcos government shifted the budgets intended for the training at the Philippine Military Academy and the PNP Academy to DepEd. How is the education of the Filipino’ youth supposed to benefit from the shifted funds?
The provision for higher funding for DPWH is clearly another ‘ayuda’ program for the country’s congressmen. It is no secret that our honorable congressmen earn a 30% cut from P1.10 TRILLION funds allocated for infrastructure programs reserved for the congressional districts. The ‘ayuda’ for congressmen (district and party lists) amounts to P331 BILLION!
The Filipinos have every reason to decry the prostitution of the 2025 General Appropriations Act from a ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ Bicameral Conference Report!
But are the taxpayers preparing to go to the streets for this?
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
