Institutional distrust is rising fast

THE CORNER ORACLE

- ANDREW J. MASIGAN

Our institutions are collapsing under the weight of corruption and toxic politicking. It has come to the point where our institutions can no longer be relied upon to uphold justice or defend the nation's true interest. Politicians engage in a feeding frenzy of corruption and political jockeying while the people are given the bare minimum so as not to revolt. The system of checks and balances is rigged to shield the powerful.

All these have resulted in widespread institutional distrust and it is completely self-inflicted on government's part. This is not hyperbole—it's the hard truth, borne by facts. Consider the following:

Congress

The P6.3-trillion national budget of 2025 is a grotesque representation of the runaway corruption that festers in congress. Some P879 billion was hijacked by legislators and hidden in "unprogrammed appropriations" and other budget insertions. That's 18 percent of the national budget channeled to pork! Flood control got P257 billion. Meanwhile, education, infrastructure, and health care suffered deep budget cuts.

How can we trust a Congress that engineers institutional plunder?

Moreover, Congress has ceased to serve as a check and balance mechanism since the majority vote according to political interest. Unqualified legislators are aplenty, given the proliferation of political dynasties. Legislation is of poor quality. The House is a money pit, not worth its cost.

The Senate

The legislative record of the 19th Senate hardly moved the needle in national development. Except for the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, other laws and measures carried little significance.