The annual budget proposal is not produced out of thin air.
Listing billions of pesos worth of items in the 2025 budget as unprogrammed appropriations would have been irregular and a downright insult to the intelligence of the Filipinos.
The controversial item in the proposed 2025 expenditure plan is an affront to the men and women involved in the budget preparation process. It takes months or nearly a year to prepare the budget, with every department and line agencies tasked to draw up their proposed expenditure plan and back them up with revenue support.
My short stint with the then Ministry of the Budget and Management in 1978 exposed me to the year-long process of budget preparation, budget authorization, budget execution and accountability phases.
The annual budget proposal is not produced out of thin air. It involves a series of steps that starts with the determination of the overall economic targets, expenditure levels, revenue projection and the financing plan by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
In sum, the government through the annual expenditure plan can prioritize and put into action its programs and policies within the constraints of its financial capability as dictated by economic conditions.
Inserting the so-called unprogrammed appropriations, or pork barrel, under the 2025 expenditure plan ignores the meticulous work done by every department and line agencies. The invention of pork barrel itself is heinous. It is an evil scheme that allows the use of government funds for projects designed to please voters or lawmakers, and win votes.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did the right thing when he formally signed this week the P6.326-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2025 and vetoed P194-billion worth of line items that received heavy criticisms from several sectors.
He vetoed P26.065 billion worth of projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and P168.240 billion listed under “Unprogrammed Appropriations” that were deemed inconsistent with the administration’s development priorities.
The Makati Business Club (MBC) earlier called for a more transparent and accountable process in finalizing the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The MBC did commend President Marcos for his initiative in thoroughly scrutinizing the 2025 budget approved by the bicameral committee, which tried to reconcile the conflicting provisions of both versions of the Senate and of the House of Representatives.
But the influential business group did not hide its disappointment over the bicam-approved version that allocated a P1.1-trillion budget to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The DPWH budget would have exceeded the P737 billion allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd).
The MBC had warned that prioritizing DPWH’s budget over DepEd’s may violate the constitutional mandate that education receive the highest budgetary priority.
It also noted the P26-billion allotment given for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos sa Kita Program (AKAP), a financial assistance subsidy for “near-poor” families.
“There is no clear information on the program’s implementation or conditions for receiving assistance. Notably, the Senate has previously raised questions about this program’s funding,” the MBC said.
It likewise found disturbing the removal of the P74.43-billion subsidy for Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), a critical agency serving as the state health insurer.
Mr Marcos reminded lawmakers that social services, especially education and health, remain the government’s top priorities, along with economic services, infrastructure development and agriculture.
He stressed the importance of transparency and purposive spending, ensuring compliance with budget execution rules, proper cash programming and oversight by concerned offices.
Our lawmakers, perhaps should also be reminded about the real concerns of every Filipino. The top three concerns of the Filipinos, according to the March 2024 Ulat ng Bayan Survey by Pulse Asia, are controlling inflation, increasing workers’ pay and fighting graft and corruption in the government.
The MBC reiterated that the national budget should be designed to address the pressing concerns and needs of the Filipino people.
Unprogrammed appropriations, or the billions of pesos under this category, could have been specifically designed to alleviate poverty, improve the economy and expand social services.
As the Chief Executive stressed, the appropriation of public funds must not break the public trust.
E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com
