The issue in the budget

Are we not wondering what much of our national budget (year in and year out) is accomplishing aside from squandering borrowed wealth and furthering corruption and criminality? In what way have the questionable allocations (blindly approved) contributed to good governance, much less alleviating the plight of the Filipino people and improving our economy?

With the total of P9.29 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, along with the other dubious portions in the budget, we can well address inflation or our food crisis so that we don’t have to import rice, fish, sugar, salt, vegetables, even onions, etc.

How many schools, classrooms, clinics, roads and potable water facilities can be built for our people in the neglected areas of the country with such a staggering amount of their money about to be dumped to crooks’ wallets and meaningless, aimless, senseless projects and programs?

Truth be told, if ever there’s a need for confidential and intelligence funds with their touted purposes, the nation would do well to spend them on information gathering and surveillance operations, vis-a-vis our crooked politicians, government officials, police and military people. It behooves the nation to uncover the illegal, illegitimate, immoral and criminal activities of scoundrels in the government – using their positions to perpetuate themselves in power, amass wealth and indulge in lifestyles that are not commensurate with their salaries.

Ask what the issue is in all the unidentified, unspecified, unaccountable, unexplainable portions of our yearly national budget. This is it. And it’s not “administration versus opposition.” – Reni M. Valenzuela [email protected]