Ledesma: State of the opposition

I OFTEN wonder why and what we have done as a nation that we are given this scourge : a Lower Chamber in Congress where political morons and hungry hyenas thrive and fight over our tax and who cannot agree how much to allocate for what and for whom.

And then we have a Vice President, Leni Robredo, who thinks that money intended for dredging heavily silted rivers that could result in flash floods and erosion, like what happened in Bicol where she resides, will just be purloined. Each time she opens her mouth she reveals what’s in her cranium.

Still another variety, Rep. Edcel Lagman, also from her region, asserts that Martial Law in Mindanao need not be extended since there is no armed rebellion in the region. How could he, who has not even ventured in Mindanao for he might be too scared, judge what is good for us Mindanaoans?

And still another Bicolano, Rolando Andaya, the new Majority Floor Leader, practically sat on the proposed budget for 2019 questioning at length the alleged “insertion” by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno thus jeopardizing the initial phase of the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes, also from the same region, is out of the country for a string of speaking engagements, so he claimed. Back home he has a magma of warrants yet he wants to impress us that he is in the mold of Dale Carnegie.

Have the ash fall and sulfuric fumes from the eternally active Mayon volcano anything to do with mindset of these characters?

The unusual delay in passing the 2019 budget is no longer funny. If “insertions” were made then why cannot the members of the House of Representatives evaluate whether there are valid reasons why it should be considered. Remember that not a few congressional districts were deprived of budgetary allocations during the term of ex-Speaker Bebot Alvarez.

Congressman Andaya early on saw the huge chunk of money in the proposed budget for the districts of Alvarez, Rep. Rodolfo Farinas and of ex-congressman and now Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.

The problem then was that the Palace had questioned what it earlier suspected as a big allocation for the district of incumbent House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that turned out to be a pittance compared to the three others. Everything went convoluted and the House of Gloria seemed to be paralyzed by its own inability to decide on the fate of the 2019 budget proposed by Malacañang.

Congress should flesh out what it suspected as questionable insertions and proceed with what the members think is fair and just. Well, they invited Ben Diokno during the budget hearing but instead of seeking answers to shed light on the budget proposal the congressmen crucified him and drowned him in a hail of insults.

Failing to act on the budget would result in a standstill in government functions and services and affect the payment of salaries and wages of state employees. The grave condition may force President Rodrigo Duterte to consider options that congressmen might later regret.--from SunStar Davao

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph