To the Duterte detractors, former President Rodrigo Duterte (PRRD) was left with a budget surplus by his predecessor, the late former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, that only exists in their collective imagination. Libre naman managinip ng dilat as part of their myth making. The truth is, public sector budgets are meant to be spent. What was savings was distributed as “Priority Development Assistance Fund” (PDAF) and bribes to influence the impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The same is true with Duterte. The same detractors think of the pandemic as a figment of their imagination and discount the infrastructure projects which were accomplished during his term or those which are being completed now and inaugurated by the present administration.
In his Manila Standard piece, Lito Banayo writes…
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
In 2019, the national debt stood at 7.73 trillion, an increase of 1.78 trillion from PNoy’s 2016, which however jumpstarted the Build Build Build infrastructure programs of Duterte, most of which which BbM now inaugurates with attendant fanfare.
But with COVID 19, we had to borrow 2 trillion to sustain government operations and another 2 trillion in 2021, plus one more trillion in the first half of 2022.
Keeping the population alive and feeding the marginalized at a time when the economy was shut down costs plenty, yet the Duterte government was able to accomplish many infrastructure projects.
The BbM government tweaked Build Build Build into Build Better More, pursuing a personality cult that identifies every undertaking for the resurrected “caudillo,” but there is little to show after three years.
Banayo compares the national government with the state of finances of its capital; literally bankrupt but not to the point where no entity will lend.
When I was at the Manila local government unit (LGU) in one of its universities, a veteran employee told me that the clan of then Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna have a huge appetite for public funds albeit low-key. My reply was, “talo pa si Erap?” The answer was “kay Erap kahit paano may bumababa. Sa kanila, kung eleksyon lamang.” The Manila LGU under former Mayor Erap Estrada was divided among one of his “wives” and a son. That Lacuna could be worse than Erap speaks volumes about the greed not being moderated.
It’s up to you to decide what your opinion is about the national budget but the 2025 version was an election budget undoubtedly. If you look at the list of bills filed by congressmen and senators after they assumed office for the 20th Congress, there is still mostly ayuda. Where are we going to get the funds for these passed into law? Also, there are no measures targeting the middle class, the demographic which is silent but pays taxes on a regular basis and is least dependent on government cheese. Paano naman kami? Porke’t ba hindi kami kasing-rami ng masa eh etchepuera na lang kami?
If the 40% estimate of the level of corruption is true, imagine how our elected and appointed government officials are getting rich off public funds. Ang sarap ng buhay.
Kaya naman pala afford ang walk-in closet with matching sexy girlfriend to boot. Kung sa Kastila pa, mapapamura ka talaga ng hijo de la gran puta coño!!! But as Louie Beltran would say, such is life in the Republic of Banana. Tapos ibabala pa ang Pinoy para sa mga Amerikano. Santisima patawarin ko talagang buhay to.
If Martin Romualdez is not elected speaker by the 20th Congress, expect current Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro to be running in his place in 2028. Teodoro is well liked by the Americans.
