Stop Budget Thievery by Congress

Over the last three years, Congress reduced the budgets for badly needed infrastructure and social services originally proposed by the BBM administration, to fund Congressional pork barrel projects to the tune of over a trillion pesos.

- BOO CHANCO

There were unprecedented huge cuts and diversions in the first three budgets of BBM. Congress offered no explanations for mangling the budgets proposed by BBM with big cuts and diversions. BBM also didn't say a word until PhilHealth and DepEd budget issues became running headline news stories.

In specific terms, the first three BBM budget proposals suffered deep cuts: In the 2023 GAA, P219 billion was cut; in the 2024 GAA, P449.5 billion was cut; in the 2025 GAA, P373.0 billion was cut, translating to total cuts of P1,041.6 trillion less veto of P26 billion, resulting in a net cut of P1,015.6 trillion.

What justified the huge budget cuts and realignment? Where were the funds used? Difficult to answer: Only a select group of House and Senate officials, called the bicameral conference committee (bicam), decided on amendments and finalized the GAA. There were no public discussions. No minutes nor records of bicam proceedings. Absolutely no transparency.

Nevertheless, a sampling of where the cuts were inflicted should be worrisome because of the negative impact on the nation's economic development.

In 2024, a significant cut of P157.8 billion was made on required counterpart funding for foreign assisted projects of the DOTr, essentially, the big-ticket rail projects we badly need.

PhilHealth suffered a P40-billion cut and the AFP modernization budget was cut by P10 billion. There are others including a P10 billion cut in the budget of the NDRRMC of P10 billion which undermines its ability to respond to calamities.

Where were the slashed funds diverted? A sampling of where funds went: flood control P28.9 billion (now P245 billion); DPWH P174.6 billion; House of Representatives P12 billion (to P28.7 billion); Senate P10 billion; ayuda P26.7 billion (from zero); AICS P9 billion (to P28.9 billion).