By the looks of it, the once matinee idol, Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. will sit it out in jail longer than when he was incarcerated in the PNP custodial detention center few years back.That was about the PDAF scam. Today the people are angry, very angry as matter of fact when it was exposed that billions of pesos were pocketed by our corrupt politicians. I am one of those millions of Filipinos who want to see these crooks in my lifetime jailed and suffer.
Do you still remember this? Then President Duterte said in his many speaking engagements: ‘I hate corruption’. The scandal involving the PhilHealth funds was so staggering that many of us wanted to puke. The Social Amelioration Program (ayuda) was also attended with controversy since it was announced that every family in the country will be beneficiaries of the ayuda. The money involved in all these is not really that small to sneeze at. It is in billions and billions of pesos.
Under Duterte’s watch, here then the detailed amount. The 2020 budget for health and services was P800 billion. This includes P173 billion for universal health care, P109 billion for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program ( 4Ps) and P37 billion for unconditional cash transfer. Under those laws passed by congress, ‘the government carved out from other line departments an estimated P400 billion for Covid expenses‘. Then came the borrowing- trillions of pesos.
Congress passed the necessary laws to appropriate these funds intended for public welfare, kuno. President Duterte had a very obedient congress. There were smooth passage of these measures sponsored by the palace. And money, lots of money were appropriated. More billions were borrowed. Now the total of country’s indebtedness is P17.71 trillion.
But there were so many greedy people with sticky fingers who took advantage of these public funds? That instead of these funds were channeled to social services and funded the infrastructures, the money ended up in their bank accounts, here and abroad, and in their personal vaults. It cascaded from the higher echelon to congress and to local government unit’s (LGUs). I personally know certain congressmen and mayors who are already wealthy beyond what they dreamed of. They have no flourishing profession nor business, yet they are so rich? When they were not yet in power they were contented with second hand cars and one car-garage house. Now they have houses in Manila and maybe in the United States, Spain and elsewhere and are most likely in the name of kins or trusted friends. Their lust for money is a bottomless pit, so to speak. And what is sad they rob funds intended for the poor.
NOTES: Despite the pandemic he Rotary Club of Angeles is strictly adhering to its motto ‘Service Above Self’. It has continued its feeding programs. One of the biggest sponsors is Sinukuwan Waterworks. It started during the time of the late Fil Del Rosario and continued by Allam Kahil, past president of RCA… My heart felt condolences to the families of my three friends who passed away last week. We are mourning the deaths of former Mabalacat City Councilor Roland ‘Rox’ Pena, Lubao infra contractor Engineer Reynaldo ‘Tokwing ‘ Manalansan of Lubao and businessman Mike Cruz of Angeles City.