With the elections just around the corner and the most devastating natural calamity directly behind us, one question beats steady in the hearts of the millions of Filipinos: WHAT’S NEXT? Join us here as we watch over the money that allegedly gets “thrown around” the country or as the most cynical detractors would say, “right into the pockets of the new world kings.” If you would like to submit an original story or a link, send it to bukaspilipinas@gmail.com and let us all make sure that “our” money is best taken care of. Is it our money? Or theirs by right? In fact, who are they really? Get to know the FACTS of where our money really goes, play your part and help us uphold transparency in governance, or do your part in your area by being vigilant and above all, AWARE. Ito ang ATING BUDGET.
Briones, Guingona for BUDGET REFORM
By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:43:00 01/24/2009
MANILA, Philippines -- A group advocating national budget reforms is pushing for putting the process as an issue in the 2010 presidential election in an effort to prevent the theft of public money for campaign kitties.
Leonor Magtolis-Briones, co-convenor of nongovernment organization network Social Watch Philippines (SWP), said the national budget has become a milking cow for politicians who use taxpayers’ money for their political ambitions.
"The P1.415-trillion budget that was passed last Thursday clearly shows negative fiscal politics," Briones said. "It includes an 'economic stimulus fund' which can be easily morphed into a 're-election stimulus fund.'"
She said the biggest gainer from the new budget was the Department of Public Works and Highways, whose allocation was increased by P17 billion.
Malacañang has pushed for a P300-billion fund to pump-prime the economy, including P100 billion for infrastructure projects.
"From what we know so far, the budget includes P10 billion for the economic stimulus fund and P3.4 billion in additional pork barrel," Briones said.
SWP leads the Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) -- a campaign which 60 NGOs support -- that has been monitoring the budget process in the legislature since 1996.
Briones, a professor at the University of the Philippines' National College of Public Administration and Governance, said "ownership of the budget must be returned to the people" by enabling them to take part in the budget process.
She said the bicameral processes of Congress have deteriorated, in relation to the national budget.
"Only the chairs of the Senate committee on finance and of the House appropriations committee have met regularly to discuss the budget," she added. "There are no minutes of these meetings."
In particular, the ABI aims at having a national budget that prioritizes finance development efforts like the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
The MDGs include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, providing primary education services to all, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing the incidence of death among children, improving maternal health, fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing global cooperation for development efforts.
Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III, an ABI ally, last week pushed for the passage of new laws that reform the budget process, including the proposed Budget Accountability and Transparency Act.
Guingona zeroed in on two practices concerning the national budget -- called impoundment and re-enactment -- which he said were "mechanisms that funnel funds into savings, all for the President's taking."
He explained that impoundment was the refusal of the Chief Executive to spend funds that actually have been appropriated.
On the other hand, re-enactment means automatically implementing a previous year's budget when Congress fails to arrive at a new budget for the new year.
"Funds are impounded so that (these) can be made part of savings, which will be spent by the President for purposes other than what was originally intended," Guingona said.
Re-enactment of a budget "allowed Jocelyn 'Jocjoc' Bolante to take out an outrageous amount of money in less than a week’s time," Guingona said.
Bolante, a former agriculture undersecretary, is implicated in the spiriting away of at least P728 million in funds supposedly for fertilizers released to local government officials in 2004.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:43:00 01/24/2009
MANILA, Philippines -- A group advocating national budget reforms is pushing for putting the process as an issue in the 2010 presidential election in an effort to prevent the theft of public money for campaign kitties.
Leonor Magtolis-Briones, co-convenor of nongovernment organization network Social Watch Philippines (SWP), said the national budget has become a milking cow for politicians who use taxpayers’ money for their political ambitions.
"The P1.415-trillion budget that was passed last Thursday clearly shows negative fiscal politics," Briones said. "It includes an 'economic stimulus fund' which can be easily morphed into a 're-election stimulus fund.'"
She said the biggest gainer from the new budget was the Department of Public Works and Highways, whose allocation was increased by P17 billion.
Malacañang has pushed for a P300-billion fund to pump-prime the economy, including P100 billion for infrastructure projects.
"From what we know so far, the budget includes P10 billion for the economic stimulus fund and P3.4 billion in additional pork barrel," Briones said.
SWP leads the Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) -- a campaign which 60 NGOs support -- that has been monitoring the budget process in the legislature since 1996.
Briones, a professor at the University of the Philippines' National College of Public Administration and Governance, said "ownership of the budget must be returned to the people" by enabling them to take part in the budget process.
She said the bicameral processes of Congress have deteriorated, in relation to the national budget.
"Only the chairs of the Senate committee on finance and of the House appropriations committee have met regularly to discuss the budget," she added. "There are no minutes of these meetings."
In particular, the ABI aims at having a national budget that prioritizes finance development efforts like the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
The MDGs include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, providing primary education services to all, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing the incidence of death among children, improving maternal health, fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing global cooperation for development efforts.
Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III, an ABI ally, last week pushed for the passage of new laws that reform the budget process, including the proposed Budget Accountability and Transparency Act.
Guingona zeroed in on two practices concerning the national budget -- called impoundment and re-enactment -- which he said were "mechanisms that funnel funds into savings, all for the President's taking."
He explained that impoundment was the refusal of the Chief Executive to spend funds that actually have been appropriated.
On the other hand, re-enactment means automatically implementing a previous year's budget when Congress fails to arrive at a new budget for the new year.
"Funds are impounded so that (these) can be made part of savings, which will be spent by the President for purposes other than what was originally intended," Guingona said.
Re-enactment of a budget "allowed Jocelyn 'Jocjoc' Bolante to take out an outrageous amount of money in less than a week’s time," Guingona said.
Bolante, a former agriculture undersecretary, is implicated in the spiriting away of at least P728 million in funds supposedly for fertilizers released to local government officials in 2004.
P10-B ONDOY BUDGET
photo from Yahoo! PH
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:27:00 09/30/2009
MANILA, Philippines—Congress is poised to pass a P10 billion supplemental budget to help victims of tropical storm “Ondoy,’ nationwide, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said on Wednesday.
On top of this, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said senators and congressmen had also asked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to release a cash subsidy of P1,000 for 150,000 poorest families affected by the storm, which left 240 people dead and affected about two million residents in Luzon.
The decision was reached Tuesday night in a meeting in Manila attended by Enrile, Zubiri, Senators Loren Legarda and Edgrado Angara, some members of the House of Representatives, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes.
“We asked the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management to relay the sense of the Congress to the President as Chief Executive that we are considering adopting a supplemental budget to help the flood victims not only in Marikina, Cainta…but also in other provinces,” said Enrile.
Enrile said they werenow drafting a joint resolution for the supplemental budget, which they hope to pass before Congress takes a break next month.
Unlike the supplemental budget, Zubiri said the proposed cash subsidy for affected families would only require the President’s approval, and not legislation by Congress.
He said this cash subsidy, which would come from the existing calamity fund of the government, should be released within the week.
“My suggestion to Senator Andaya is to ask the President today to immediately release to 150,000 families at least P1,000 subsidy fund so they can buy clothes, food, milk for their babies,” Zubiri said.
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:27:00 09/30/2009
MANILA, Philippines—Congress is poised to pass a P10 billion supplemental budget to help victims of tropical storm “Ondoy,’ nationwide, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said on Wednesday.
On top of this, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said senators and congressmen had also asked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to release a cash subsidy of P1,000 for 150,000 poorest families affected by the storm, which left 240 people dead and affected about two million residents in Luzon.
The decision was reached Tuesday night in a meeting in Manila attended by Enrile, Zubiri, Senators Loren Legarda and Edgrado Angara, some members of the House of Representatives, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes.
“We asked the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management to relay the sense of the Congress to the President as Chief Executive that we are considering adopting a supplemental budget to help the flood victims not only in Marikina, Cainta…but also in other provinces,” said Enrile.
Enrile said they werenow drafting a joint resolution for the supplemental budget, which they hope to pass before Congress takes a break next month.
Unlike the supplemental budget, Zubiri said the proposed cash subsidy for affected families would only require the President’s approval, and not legislation by Congress.
He said this cash subsidy, which would come from the existing calamity fund of the government, should be released within the week.
“My suggestion to Senator Andaya is to ask the President today to immediately release to 150,000 families at least P1,000 subsidy fund so they can buy clothes, food, milk for their babies,” Zubiri said.