‘Scrap pork barrel to ease P12.89 trillion Philippine debt’

MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines stares at a debt close to P13 trillion, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is calling on the government to put an end to “pork barrel” funds in the national budget.

Data released by the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) last Saturday showed that the government’s debt rose to a new record-high of P12.89 trillion.

In a statement, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said that Congress “should put an end to lump-sum discretionary spending in the national budget.”

“Unprogrammed funds, massive intelligence funds and other discretionary and unaudited items in the national budget should be removed and instead re-channelled to basic social services,” Reyes said in a Viber message.

He also slammed the huge budgets of the Offices of the President and Vice President, particularly their “unnecessary discretionary spending.”

“Government cannot pretend that public coffers are bottomless pockets, and that they can spend now and worry about public debt later. It is the height of injustice that such unproductive and unnecessary spending is happening amid systemic corruption and plans to impose new taxes on the people,” Reyes said.

“The people should call on lawmakers to stop questionable lump-sum discretionary spending because the people will be the ones paying for these in the form of taxes,” he added.

Earlier, the BTr said the increase in the country’s debt is due to the “net issuances of domestic and external loans as well as currency adjustments.”