Questions have been about the propriety of such a budget item, given the long-festering need for land for the landless, home for the homeless, jobs for the jobless, and cash for the poorest of the poor. This loud outcry against the confi-intel funds makes a lot of sense because the people’s money is being spent, without any clear explanation.
Latest news the past weeks centered on the billions of confidential-intelligence funds proposed for the government’s civilian agencies, particularly that of the Office of the Vice-President and the DepEd, Sara Duterte’s concurrent areas of responsibility in the bureaucracy.
Questions have been raised by many sectors in society and now in the Senate and the House of Representatives about the propriety of such a budget item, given the long-festering need for land for the landless, home for the homeless, jobs for the jobless, and cash for the poorest of the poor.
This loud outcry against the confi-intel funds makes a lot of sense because the people’s money is being spent, without any clear explanation coming from the proponents. Sara herself stammered, together with her sponsors, in defense of her proposed budget with sharp questioning by the youthful Kabataan Partylist Congressman Raoul Manuel.
The fact is COA has reported that Sara Duterte as Davao City mayor from 2016 to 2022 spent a total of P2.697 billion in confidential expenses, way higher than the CF of other wealthier LGUS, such as the cities of Cebu, Quezon, and Manila.
BUT this highly questionable item in the proposed 2024 Budget is only one of the myriad problems faced by the leadership tandem of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte. Resolution of the many human rights violations committed under the present administration from July 2022 to June 2023 have been long in coming, as reported by IBON Foundation – 60 victims of extrajudicial killing, eight victims of enforced disappearances, 49 additional political prisoners (778 total), 77 victims of illegal arrest and detention, 6,931 victims of bombing, 7,712 victims of indiscriminate firing, and 1.6 million victims of threat, harassment and intimidation.
The proliferation of illegal drugs, and the haul of millions of the stuff by the police, is practically a standard news item daily, and to think that the father of VP Sara promised as President to lick the drug problem in six months.
The greater tragedy is that the DOJ has so far neglected the cry for justice by the families of the more than 30,000 EJK victims, including those killed having been red-tagged by the notorious NTF-ELCAC.
On the economy, the millions of poor farmers, laborers, IPs, small vendors, and especially the unemployed are still waiting for the price of a kilogram of rice to cost P20 only as promised.
The prices of vegetables, fish, meat and other basic food items are still on the upward trend.
The Chinese are still continuing with the destruction of our marine resources in the West Philippine Sea, at the same time depriving our fishermen of the freedom to fish in our own territory.
A disturbing fact is the government’s more then P14 trillion debt, the payment of which will be the responsibility of the grandchildren of our children!
The Filipino people are desperately waiting for solutions soonest from Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, even as their legitimacy as President and Vice-President, respectively, is seriously being questioned with the unassailable findings of the TNT trio that Comelec/Smartmatic rigged the May 9, 2022 elections.
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