Risking exile again?

The sense I get of the current public mood is one of exasperation with our politics and the massive corruption that plagues our government.

- BOO CHANCO

There seems to be a strong undercurrent of dismay that should worry BBM.

Maybe it is the weather that has made people more irritable, less forgiving of corruption. The rains have brought leptospirosis and floods and people are dying.

The DPWH has spent an estimated P2 trillion for flood management for the past 15 years—or P350 million a day, Sen Ping Lacson said. Yet, the problem persists.

Public hospitals are overcrowded and underfunded, and people are forced to beg for guarantee letters from their congressmen to be given care.

Our officials tell us to be patient because we're a poor country. Actually, we're just poorly governed.

The good news is, BBM seems to get it. He realizes there is public disgust over how the national budget was turned into legalized looting of the national treasury last year. The conspiracy was led by the Speaker, BBM's cousin and the Senate President. And BBM signed the budget with all its faults.

Now BBM says he would not sign any General Appropriations Act (GAA) that is not aligned with the administration's priority programs and tolerates fund misuse.

While the unprogrammed portion of the 2026 budget still contains priority projects, the good news from Sec. Vince Dizon is that he was just given allocated or programmed funding for the North South Commuter Rail and Metro Manila Subway projects. He said he was also given programmed funds to cover right of way requirements.

Nevertheless, BBM saw that going after corruption will help him earn public support, something he needs in his continuing battle with the Dutertes.