Makabayan bloc vows to keep watch on final look of 'railroaded' 2024 budget

MANILA, Philippines — After an eleventh-hour assurance from ranking House lawmakers to realign Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds, the Makabayan bloc has vowed to scrutinize whether this and other suggested amendments would make it into the actual proposed budget.

The minority lawmakers stressed that the expedited passage of the national budget in the lower chamber — which was passed on second and final reading on the same day — effectively eroded the transparency of the budget process.

During a press conference Friday, Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) said that the version of the budget bill that House approved on final reading had yet to contain the actual amendments proposed by House leaders regarding Duterte’s confidential funds.

“Even if (House leaders) said they would realign the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the DEpartment of Education to agencies involved in defending the West Philippine Sea, to be honest, these are still just words,” Manuel said in Filipino.

“What the House approved is the exact same proposal transmitted by Malacanang without any changes,” Manuel said, adding that this was the reason the Makabayan lawmakers refused to vote for the measure.

The House had left it up to a “small committee” of lawmakers to finalize the changes to the budget proposal. This includes realigning the controversial secret funds of two Duterte-led offices: the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which total P650 million.

The members of the panel are House appropriations chairperson Rep. Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol Party-list), House appropriations senior vice chairperson Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina City), House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe