Philippine lawmakers question VP’s ‘confidential’ spending

Marcos-Duterte ratings drop amid calls for transparency by opposition bloc, country’s biggest labor coalition, and the Church

Philippine opposition lawmakers have called into question the alleged controversial public spending by the office of Vice President Sara Duterte.

They raised several queries on Oct. 1 after Duterte sought hundreds of millions of pesos from lawmakers to finance her office’s so-called “confidential” operations.

Opposition lawmakers uncovered a 125 million peso-budget (US$2.8 million) request, which was granted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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When asked by the House of Representatives, Duterte refused to explain past expenditures invoking “confidentiality” even though public money was spent.

The opposition bloc, including the country’s biggest labor coalition, called for transparency saying the country could no longer afford “corrupt” officials.

“We cannot even increase the minimum wage of our workers amid inflation, yet hundreds of millions of pesos are pocketed by politicians instead of the money going to the citizenry,” Nagkaisa Labor Coalition’s president and lawyer Sonny Matula told UCA News on Oct. 1.

He said the unaccounted funds should have been spent on augmenting the worker’s daily wage, which until now could not support a family of three.

“We are pushing for a nationwide 150 pesos (US$2.7) increase so that our workers can cope with inflation but our petition was junked because according to the budget committee, there is no allotment for our proposal,” Matula added.

Philippine fisher folk too have called upon Marcos and Duterte to allot more funds to modernize the Philippine Coast Guard as it faces hostile Chinese vessels in the disputed waters of the South China sea.

“We have very limited resources. Sometimes, I go there alone and I am bullied by the Chinese coast guard that would often time result in my getting shot by water cannons,” Batanes fisherman Joey Collado, 42, told UCA News.

He complained of having to do with fewer catches each day “because my life is more important.”

Collado said fewer fishermen had the courage to sail due to the near absence of the Philippine coast guards in the disputed waters.

“We won [the arbitral award] but the abuse does not stop. By having more [coast guard] vessels, I am sure our fishermen will have more courage to sail in the West Philippine sea,” Collado added.

The country’s legal experts said there was no reason for Marcos and Duterte not to disclose where they’ve been spending the “confidential” funds.

“It cannot be denied that the disbursement and liquidation of confidential funds involve public interest because the funds are public, and public funds, being raised through taxes paid by the public, can be spent only for a public purpose,” retired Supreme Court justice and anti-corruption advocate Antonio Carpio told the media on Oct. 1.

According to Carpio, the public has the right to know where public funds are spent, a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

“The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as the basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law,” Carpio added.

The trust ratings for both Marcos and Duterte have plummeted evidently due to a lack of transparency in the spending of public funds.

Private survey firm Pulse Asia revealed Marcos and Duterte’s ratings dropped by 15 and 11 points, respectively, based on a national survey conducted from Sept. 10-15.

Marcos’ approval rating fell to 65 percent, while Duterte’s decreased from 84 percent to 73 percent, according to the private survey firm.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the people should be vigilant, especially if transparency is “compromised.”

“Speaking out what is true is a moral obligation. Transparency is a must especially if it involves our money because a public office is a public trust,” Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace chairman and Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo told UCA News.

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