'Where's Transparency?' Philippine Lawmakers Question Swift Approval Of Marcos' 2027 Budget

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Some congressmen strongly opposed why Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr 's proposed 2027 budget sailed through discussions in the House of Representatives (HOR) on Tuesday, using a process euphemistically called“parliamentary courtesy”.

The Committee on Appropriations in the lower chamber of the Philippine Congress approved P10.15 billion (Dh615 million) for the Office of the President (OP) in 20 minutes, refusing scrutiny of the proposed budget“as a show of politeness to the chief executive”. Thirty-seven lawmakers approved the budget while five voted against the swift approval.

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ACT Teachers' representative Antonio Tinio objected to the move, saying Congress should stop its tradition of parliamentary courtesy to uphold transparency and accountability.

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“The people want transparency. This Congress needs to be fair in applying the principle of transparency. Congress demands transparency from the Office of the Vice President (Sara Duterte ), so it should be the same for the OP (Marcos),” Tinio pointed out.

The Makabayan (Patriotic) Coalition member underscored the importance of budgetary scrutiny, noting that Marcos and some Cabinet officials are allegedly implicated in flood control anomalies themselves. He also pointed out that the OP must explain why almost half of its proposed budget is allocated for confidential and intelligence funds.

“The people want answers directly from the OP. That's what we want to hear and this is the opportunity to directly hear their answers. That's why we are objecting to the motion to extend parliamentary courtesy,” Tinio explained.

Tinio was joined in his objections by fellow Makabayan lawmakers Sarah Elago of Gabriela Women's Party and Renee Co of Kabataan Youth Party, as well as opposition lawmakers Elijah Fernando and Iris Montes.

But in a chamber usually controlled by the administration, their efforts went for naught.

Most of the budgetary hearing was actually spent on Executive Secretary Ralph Recto's presentation that he said was 64 per cent lower compared to this year.“The substantial reduction reflects the lower operational requirements of our units and the completion of our activities related to the hosting of the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] meeting, for which no additional funding will be required next year,” Recto said.

Marcos, however, would still enjoy P4.58 billion (Dh 277 million) in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).

Why budget courtesy is dangerous

But while the Marcos government claims austerity, the swift and perfunctory approval of the OP's budget raised red flags among anti-corruption advocates.

The Makabayan bloc was in fact the first group of lawmakers to point out the dangers of letting the proposed budget of the Philippine President and Vice President pass unchallenged. In 2023, then Kabataan representative Raoul Manuel vehemently opposed giving Vice President Sara Duterte hundreds of millions in CIF, the very subject of the ongoing impeachment trial by the Philippine Senate.

“Our tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy stops us in the legislative branch from doing our job for which we are paid by the Filipino people. We should have checks and balances,” Manuel said.

“This is not democracy at work. I condemn the proceedings. Traditions that no longer work should be stopped,” Manuel added.

Ironically, during the 2023 hearings for the 2024 OVP budget, it was Ilocos Norte representative and presidential son Sandro Marcos who pushed for parliamentary courtesy. Duterte would later threaten the Marcos family with assassination after her fallout with erstwhile political allies.

Various witnesses at the ongoing impeachment trial have so far revealed that Duterte filed defective audit reports and gave funds to unauthorised personnel for activities that it did not organise or to recipients with ridiculously made-up names.

The continuation of parliamentary courtesy for President Marcos comes amid claims of anti-corruption reforms by his government. His government's actions, however, speak louder than words, opposition lawmakers underscored.

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