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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Militant solon hits 'hyper-accelerated' treatment of OP budget

Militant solon hits 'hyper-accelerated' treatment of OP budget

Published Sep 2, 2022 12:03 pm

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro slammed what it referred to as the "hyper-accelerated budget process" on the Office of the President (OP) Friday morning, Sept. 2.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (Screenshot from Zoom)



This, after the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the proposed P9.031-billion budget of the OP for 2023 was terminated in just seven minutes.

None of the congressmen present were able to ask questions to the OP contingent as a result. The contingent was led by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez.

"We in the Makabayan bloc denounce this type of hyper-accelerated budget process. The committee blatantly violated basic principles of transparency and accountability by discharging its constitutional duty over public funds in such a manner," Castro said in a statement a couple of hours after the OP budget hearing.

"We assert that the President's budget must be scrutinized and the massive confidential and intelligence funds, be explained. Tradition should not be invoked here because tradition should be subsumed to the people's interest," said the teacher-solon.

"As it is, the P4.95-billion intelligence fund and the P4.332-billion confidential shows the skewed priorities of the Marcos administration. Instead of alloting more funds to health and education to improve our dismal health care system as well as upgrade the level of our educational system, almost P10 billion is allotted as presidential pork," she claimed.

It should be noted that 4Ps Party-list Rep. Nonoy Libanan, the head of the House minority bloc, was present during the OP budget hearing. He did not object to Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe's motion of immediately ending the proceedings.

"This administration should be more prudent in spending taxpayer's money because we are still under a pandemic and our economy is in shambles. We from the Makabayan bloc would try our best to ensure that what our people need like higher salaries, aid, health services and improve quality of education are the ones that are given budgetary priority...We will definitely bring these issues up at the plenary," concluded Castro.

The 2023 budget is the first full annual outlay of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s administration.

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