Money, money, money

It’s Christmas. It’s a season of gifts and gift giving. And the best gift, nothing beats it, is money. Cash. Pera. Kwarta. Datung.

Accordingly, on Dec. 11, 2024, our congressmen and senators under a special legislative species called BiCam gifted themselves, surreptitiously, money. Lots of money. Money they otherwise would not earn even if they worked 24/7 365 days a year.

The money is for all 23 senators. And all 316 congressmen. They allocated themselves cash. In many forms. As budget insertions. As various infrastructure projects (VIP for VIPs). As Ayuda (help in English). And AKAP (embrace in English). In plain language: Pork. In more blunt language: Corruption.

Why this corruption? Well, to use a famous sister’s slogan, it’s for “Imeesolusyon.” To help one’s election. Support one’s political bastion. Serve one’s ambition. Or promote one’s wealth creation. Because, in case you didn’t know, the fastest way to billionaire status in the Philippines is, drum roll, please – a public office, a government job, preferably one with a gargantuan allocation of taxpayers’ money.

The 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was increased by P288 billion to P1.11 trillion. Without DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan asking for it. After all, in 2023, DPWH became notorious for low utilization of its massive budget. If you cannot even spend what you already have, why ask for more?

The 1.11 (one and eleven) is a serendipitous figure. A metaphor. “One” means isa in Tagalog. As in naka-isa (put one over you). Eleven is onse in Tagalog and Spanish. As in na-onse (swindled). Or budol (fraud) victim, in current lingua franca.

The BiCam gave the following budget increases: the House of Representatives, from P16.3 billion to P33.67 billion, up P17.37 billion, or an extra P55 million per congressman on top of their standard pork of P70 million per capita; Senate, from P12.8 billion to P13.9 billion, up P1.1 billion, an extra P48 million per senator on top of each senator’s regular pork of P200 million; LGUs, from P66.09 billion to P76.66 billion, an increase of P10.57 billion, an extra P7 million per mayor and governor (as casino play money?).

Most scandalous of all is the huge and horrible increase in unprogrammed funds, or unprogrammed allocations (UAs), from P158.67 billion to P531.67 billion, a whopping increase of P373 billion.

Explains Gary Teves, himself a former finance secretary: “Unprogrammed funds are on standby and are released only when the NG collects excess revenues against targets, revenues from new taxes or sale of government assets or approved loans for foreign-assisted projects. Similar to a family budget, the programmed appropriations would be the equivalent of basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education, medicines, water and electricity. The UAs would be non-basic items such as extra appliances, cars and foreign travel.”

In other words, UAs are personal perks and pleasure – appliances, cars, trips. Amenities for the ruling class. No money for UAs? Well, steal from PhilHealth. They have P600-billion “excess funds,” known to insurance accountants as reserves.

In the fashion of classic plunderers, the BiCam ghostbusters denied PhilHealth its P74-billion requested operating money for 2025. Nada. Zilch. Never mind if 70 percent of Filipinos – that’s 83 million – die without seeing a doctor in their lifetime.

Also mulcted was the Department of Transportation. Its 2025 budget has been cut from a proposed P180.14 billion to just P87.24 billion, a drop of P92.9 billion, money that could have been used to build or modernize airports and seaports and make travel by land, air and sea safe, comfortable, reliable and cheap. Twenty of every P100 of a poor man’s daily budget is spent on public transportation. Going from home to work or school and back is a horrible daily ordeal. Our honorable senators and congressmen and, of course, our Executive branch people led by President BBM himself, just made sure your daily ordeal is going to be worse than hell.

You want to pursue our West Philippine Sea sovereignty and sovereign claims against China? Well, think twice. The budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization has been reduced, by P15 billion, to P35 billion, from the P50 billion proposed.

One Coast Guard boat cutter costs about $11 million or P649 million. So a P15 billion cut means 23 Coast Guard boats gone for good. Poor Filipino fishermen, the poorest of the Filipino poor. Nobody will accompany you to the rich fishing grounds of the Spratlys.

The Philippines is visited by 26 typhoons each year. Last November, six powerful typhoons came in just 23 days, pouring waters overnight good for a year’s rainfall. Next year, there won’t be enough calamity money to help evacuees and typhoon victims. The calamity fund has been reduced, from P31 billion to P21 billion, a cut of P10 billion.

Also victims of BiCam miracle makers are government employees. Their 2025 benefits have been reduced, by a colossal P54.2 billion, from P163.33 to P109.13 billion. The P54.2-billion cut is equivalent to P54,000 per government employee, assuming there are one million regular state workers. With P54,000 you can go to Hong Kong five times and back, on Cebu Pacific, with some money left for shopping. Hey, government clerk, if you cannot fulfill your dream Hong Kong vacation next year, blame the BiCam.

Now, the unkindest cut of all? Well, the perks and pension of the military and the police. MUP (military and uniformed personnel) pension allocation for 2025 has been reduced, from P232.02 billion to P144.72 billion, a huge P87.3 billion cut.

Will our military and the police take this cut sitting down? My advice is: stand down. Protesters will inevitably storm the Batasan and Senate buildings. When the angry mob shows up please, please exercise maximum tolerance. It’s all about money. Our money.

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