Cut Budget for Corruption

Cut Budget for Corruption

What makes it customary for politicians to succumb to “pressure” or act hurriedly in approving the government’s proposed budget, year in and year out?

Corruption is more catastrophic than the coronavirus, more widespread than the drug problem, more daring than communist insurgency, more insane than POGO, more real than fake news, more insolent than trolls, more abusive than child exploitation, more bothersome than climate change and more subtle than China in the West Philippine Sea.

Corruption is the mother of all evils in society that gangrenes the nation’s every living organ to the core. It wreaks havoc upon the lives of a nation’s people like no other malady can unleash and inflict. Close to home, what is the new administration doing to beat the bug? Nothing, nothing yet. But why do our officials (including all of us) do “business as usual,” as though the beast/monster or corruption doesn’t exist?

The surreal cuts that were effectuated in the proposed national budget for 2023, those of the University of the Philippines and other state universities, and those of the Philippine General Hospital and other government-run hospitals, et cetera – alongside the huge, bizarre, suspicious budget increases for certain offices, departments, agencies and politicians – requires deep thinking beyond stern scrutinizing on the part of our legislators who will check over it.

The budget is programmed and themed as “Agenda for Prosperity.” But may I ask, agenda and prosperity for whom? Cutting the budget for congressional districts may be prudent, but gee whiz, it was reported that certain cuts therein were contrived for blackmail purposes to accommodate “favored contractors.” Do something about the oddity/irregularity, dear wise, upright men and women in leadership (sans the myopic and rogue) – before approving it.

The budget looks anti-poor, anti-people, pro-crooks.

Crooks in high places (in Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, police and military) have to create some imagined, exaggerated problems so that a bigger budget can be allotted to them, and from which budget they can steal (with brazen ease) from the nation’s coffer, aside from pocketing “budgets” handsomely – via anomalous contracts and projects. Heaven knows. “God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.” – Genesis 6:12

Henceforth, it would do well the members of Congress in the Senate and Lower House to be vigilant and to watch out for portions of the submitted budget that have clear potential for the people’s money to end up in private bank accounts. It behooves them to identify the seemingly legitimate budgets allotted for projects, but needless “projects” obviously concocted “in aid of re-election” – to court future votes and invite kickbacks. Put it under a microscope. Take your time. Have balls.

Cut the budget, I mean budget for corruption, then restore back those which were cut from the people. Make the budget exigently, indubitably difficult (if not impossible) for any piece of it (even a single peso) to fall into the hands of wolves, crocodiles, vultures and sharks – in “public service.”