Hope, fear and change in the New Year

Filipinos have entered 2025 with the least hope and the most fear since 2009.

- HARRY ROQUE

According to the Social Weather Stations (SWS), this represents the lowest level of New Year hopefulness recorded in 15 years.

I find this hardly surprising. The budget issue has sparked more controversy, notwithstanding its signing on Rizal Day, uniting Filipinos across sectors.

The Marcos Jr. administration shamelessly defended a corruption scheme in the bastardized 2025 national budget and acted like the Filipino people are too stupid to notice. I am referring to the P26-billion Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) to help what government social workers called the near poor (as if the plight of the poorest of the poor has already been addressed).

Teachers are asking: why are PMA, PNPA funds in the education budget?

Health advocates are puzzled: why does Marcos Jr. continue to deny subsidies to PhilHealth when cases of heart attacks, cancer and diabetes are growing?

Government workers, including uniformed personnel, are worried: will our retirement funds be at risk?

The fears have sound basis. The Marcos-Araneta-Romualdez triumvirate is paralyzing the Philippines by systematically depleting its funds. As we speak, around P250 billion have been taken from GSIS, SSS, LandBank and DBP to the Maharlika Fund, with no status of work or accomplishment being provided to the public.

Further, the Marcos-Araneta-Romualdez trio has no plans of slowing down, siphoning available public funds; the recent reported case is the impounded funds of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation.