Our money, our say

We have heard about those sneaky little things called congressional budget insertions. They may not sound like the most thrilling topic, but they’re a big deal. They involve Filipinos’ hard-earned money and how it gets spent.

We work hard, pay our taxes, and expect that our money will be used wisely by our elected officials. Sometimes, though, these officials slip in extra bits and bobs into the budget that may not have anything to do with what the budget was originally meant for.

Why should we care? Well, because it’s our money. These little insertions can impact everything from healthcare, education, and other social services to infrastructure and defense. Wouldn’t we want a say in where our money goes?

Say a friend borrowed some cash from you to buy medicines but ended up spending it on concert tickets without telling you. You’d probably feel a bit miffed. It’s kind of the same deal with these budget insertions. We deserve transparency and honesty when it comes to how our money is being handled.

In a dramatic twist early this week, Senator Imee Marcos spilled the beans on some crazy budget changes for this year. They’ve gone and slashed the pensions of our retired military personnel and the retirement benefits of government workers to make room for the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program, or AKAP — a scheme reportedly not initially included in Malacañang’s proposed budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

When you compare the National Expenditure Program they showed to Congress with the final budget for 2024, they’ve chopped off a whopping P110.25 billion from the Pension and Gratuity Fund — from a massive P253,205,826,000 down to a mere P142,956,826,000.

Marcos also shook her head at a huge P5.4-billion cut from the original P15.31-billion budget meant for the Department of Migrant Workers. They’ve entirely axed the funds for critical foreign-assisted projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways. Like, poof, they were gone.

As the head of the Senate’s Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development Committee, Marcos waved the red flag over the P26.7-billion AKAP program, which seems to have a whopping P33 billion just floating around unassigned. What a head-scratcher! What’s up with these budget shenanigans?

The bicameral conference committee discreetly slipped in this hefty sum, leaving senators and representatives in hot water for their involvement in the questionable maneuver when they ratified the report. They now find themselves accountable to the public for this act of trickery.

What can we do about it? Let our voices be heard by reaching out to our congressional representatives, asking questions, and demanding accountability. Remember, they work for us, not the other way around.

Ultimately, it’s all about ensuring that our money is being used to benefit us and our communities. We must keep an eye on those budget insertions and make sure that they’re as clear as day.

After all, it’s our money, and we deserve to have a say in how it’s being spent. Every peso counts.

“These little insertions can impact everything from healthcare, education, and other social services to infrastructure and defense.

“Remember, they work for us, not the other way around.