In a joint statement, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Fintech Alliance.PH, Justice Reform Initiative, Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Philippine Business for Social Progress, and the University of the Philippines School of Economics Alumni called for reforms in the budget process to make it more transparent and to ensure it prioritizes the needs of the Filipino people, in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Constitution.
The reason for the statement is this year’s budget, which was substantially changed by the bicameral committee, with significant reductions of over P200 billion for health care, social services, and education projects.
“In place of these programmed projects, the bicameral committee inserted local infrastructure projects and types of unconditional cash transfers which, we believe, promote a culture of patronage and dependency,” they said.
“These types of programs are vulnerable to politicization and raise concerns of pork barrel practices, especially in light of the upcoming elections. This is the very practice that the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) case,” they added.
The groups recognized the President’s veto of P26 billion from the net P289 billion worth of congressional insertions into the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways during the bicameral conference committee, they said that the 2025 budget still fails to address the needs of the nation, with many social services being defunded.
Due to this failure, the groups are calling for greater transparency in the budget process.
They suggested for citizens to be allowed to provide input on the macroeconomic assumptions and budget priorities set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee, stating “this will ensure the budget reflects the real needs of the people.”
Every year, the national budget never fails to attract controversy and critics, which is natural as it is the document that determines how our taxes are spent for the entire year. A detailed perusal of a nation’s budget usually exposes the administration’s priorities, and in the case of this election year, the budget is naturally scrutinized for its potential for politicization and pork barrel practices that could lead to what is practically vote-buying. This would’ve been prevented if transparency had been a feature of the budget process from the very start.*
