People's vigilance in the scrutiny of the 2016 budget
We should be vigilant. The proposed budget for 2016 has all the earmarks of an election budget. It calls for spending beyond our means.There are many hidden lump sums and some cleverly hidden resurrection of PDAP. Such an unprecedented budget is a disguised partisan funding for administration candidates in next year's polls. The people must thus be vigilant and should be actively participating in public hearings and deliberations. The whopping gargantuan appropriations of 3.002 trillion pesos will surely call for increasing taxes and foreign and domestic borrowings to fund such an outlandish spending in a country that is generally seen in ASEAN as one of the poorest. Shame.
The economy has grown but Filipinos remain the poorest among the ASEAN 5 economies, with GDP per capita of only US$2,790, which is only 5% compared to Singapore (US$54,776), Malaysia (10,548), Thailand (5,674), Indonesia (3,760). In the World Economic Forum's Global Index Singapore is ninth among 144 countries, while the Philippines is number 117. Malaysia is number 62, Thailand 99, and Indonesia 108. The Philippines has the highest unemployment rate among the ASEAN 5, and the lowest FDI's or Foreign Direct Investments. With these poor credentials, our government still has the gall to plan spending 3.003 trillion in an election year. Shame.
The budget next year is 95% higher than the 2010 appropriation. It is 19.5% larger than the budget this current year. There is no clear and specific indication where should its funding be derived. For sure, this will push the government to be spending much higher than expected revenues. And the irony of all ironies is that, based on current budget spending, many agencies are under-spending. The bureaucracies simply do not know how to spend the money allocated to them by Congress. Despite such trend in under-spending, the 2016 appropriation is bloated, with too many lump sums that may allow pork barrel again.
Education gets an unprecedented 436.5 billion, DPWH (401.14 B), DND (172 B), DILG (156 B), DND (156 B), DOH (128.5 B), and DSWD (107.6 B). Personnel services or salaries of regular personnel, casual and job order workers are allocated 27.6% of the total budget, while capital outlay gets 21.8% and MOOE gets 17.1%. All this means that there shall be massive construction and infrastructure building next year despite the election ban mandated by the Omnibus Election Code. There will be many hiring of new personnel and substantial and multiple purchases and acquisitions of equipment, vehicles and tool, supplies and materials.
In an election year, it will be very hard for the administration to make good its commitment to implement a truly transparent, accountable and participatory fiscal management. Procurement and project implementation will most likely be influenced by partisan considerations. Delivery of public services will tend to be colored by highly political rather than professional standards and priorities. That is precisely why the people should exercise utmost vigilance in watching closely how operations personnel in all agencies shall spend public funds. Any shenanigans should be exposed and the scalawags and rascals should be reported, prosecuted and jailed.
No less than Senator Ping Lacson has complained that in the proposed budget, there are hidden PDAPs embedded in items that are in lump sums. Former National Treasurer Leonor M Briones could smell a rat, as Congressman Neric Colmenares, and crusading lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan. The proposed budget for 2016 is both a Trojan Horse and a Pandora's box, filled with questionable contents. The people should help the opposition in Congress to scrutinize the budget and guard the budget from all scoundrels lurking all around. Vigilance, indeed, is the eternal prize of good governance. We can do no less.
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