Earlier today, Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago interpellated on the proposed 2021 budget for the Office of the President (OP). Rep. Elago opened with asking for the total utilized budget of OP for FY 2019 and the half of 2020, then for its proposal for FY 2021; it was Deputy Executive Secretary for Financial Affairs Justol who provided the answers: total obligations for 2019 is PhP 5.37B, 2020 expenditures as of June 30, 2020 is PhP 3.3B, and the total proposed budget of OP for FY 2021 is PhP 8.2B.
While the OP was browsing through their references as they answer, the youth solon took the time to also ask: “Out of the 5.3 B spent in 2019, how much of this budget was spent on Confidential and Intelligence Funds [Expenses]?.”
Justol answered PhP 2.5B— which she also mentioned was fully utilized. Rep. Elago then requested for a detailed breakdown of the total expenditures of OP since 2016.
“Magkano naman po ang total ng confidential and intelligence budget para sa taong 2016 hanggang 2020. Magkano ang naging kabuuang budget? At katulad noong 2019, lahat ho ba ito ay nagastos, pwera sa 2020, Mr. Chair?,” Elago asked next.
The OP then requested to just submit later the figures from 2016 to the present, but the youth solon was ready with the computations.
Rep. Elago got a confirmation from the OP that for 2021, it requests another PhP 4.5B (same with its’ 2020 allocation) for Confidential and Intelligence Funds; she then questioned it by saying, “Ito po ay 54.26% ng kabuuang budget ng OP. Bakit higit sa kalahati po ng budget ng presidente ay patago pong ginagamit?.”
Youth solon further manifested, “Natagurian itong black budget dahil ito ay nakakatakas sa public scrutiny dahil nga doon sa nature ng funds kaya isa ito sa mga nagiging hadlang sa transparency at accountability ng mga pondo.”
“Not to mention that from 2016 to 2020, you [OP] already spent PhP 12B for Confidential and Intelligence funds. Kung idagdag po para sa 2021, ‘yan ay aabot na sa 16 billion o anim na beses na mas malaki sa anim na taon po ng nakaraang administrasyon,” she added.
Rep. Elago posed a rhetorical question: “Sa gitna ng pandemya, tama rin po ba na humingi pa ang Office of the President ng PhP 12.98M kada araw para sa black budget, kung ito po ay maari nating magamit para sa milyong-milyon na PPEs, sa mga testing kits, pagpapalawak ng capacity ng ating public health care system, tulong sa mga manggagawa na nawalan ng trabaho at pagpapalaki ng Social Amelioration Programs sa gitna ng pandemya. Bakit kailangan humihingi pa ng PhP 12.98M kada araw sa pondo na napakahirap pong i-audit?.”
DES Alberto Bernardo mentioned some justifications, however, the youth representative easily rebutted them with:
“’Yon na nga po ang ipinagtataka natin. Sa kabila ng sobrang laki na po ng nilobo ng confidential and intelligence funds ay nangyari pa rin ang napakasaklap at mariin nating kinukundena na mga atake. Ang tanong dito ng taumbayan: nagugugol ba ito ng epektibo? Bakit hindi natin idiretso na lang doon sa mga programa na makakasama ang taumbayan sa pagtitiyak nito na magugol nang maayos. Nariyan ang mekanismo for transparency at accountability dahil hindi naman po natin maaring payagan na bilyon-bilyon ang nilalaan para sa isang secret-spending na operations katulad nito.”
Kabataan Rep. Elago finished with a reiteration, “Muli, sa gitna ng pandemiya na kinakailangan–na imbis sa black budget–ilagay natin [ito] para sa kalusugan at kabuhayan ng mga mamamayan.”
All in all, the 2021 national budget is anti-people and only up for further fascism and corruption.
From the proposed national budget, we can clearly see the priorities of this administration amid pandemic–not the education for the youth, not the health sector nor the assistance for the poor and unemployed, but the regime’s fascist measures and counter-insurgency programs which are being allocated with the most budget.
In the face of these expositions, Kabataan Party-list and all the Filipino youth assert that, instead of bloating the presidential pork or black budget, these funds should be rechanneled to social services at COVID-19 response.
