Kilusang Mayo Uno denounces the recent budget hearings for the Office of the President (OP) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as a massive disrespect to the Filipino people. The manner in which these hearings were conducted and the proposed budgets themselves are an insult to the laboring masses who tirelessly pay taxes and demand accountability and transparency.
The Filipino workers deserve to know where every cent of their hard-earned money is going. Yet, the proposed budgets for the OP and OVP are shrouded in secrecy, making them ripe for graft and corruption. Vice President Sara Duterte’s notorious handling of confidential and intelligence funds is a glaring example of this lack of transparency. Her decision to skip the budget hearing is nothing short of a squid tactic to evade public scrutiny, undermining the democratic process and showing contempt for the Filipino people.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s pursuit of a larger presidential pork barrel is equally alarming. While he slashes budgets for essential services in agriculture, health, and workers’ welfare, he allocates a substantial portion of the budget to infrastructure projects, many of which are suspected to serve patronage politics and build an election war chest. Marcos Jr. already commands P10.29 billion in confidential and intelligence funds and a staggering P1.89 trillion for special purpose funds. His presidential pork barrel for the 2025 national budget has ballooned to P2.06 trillion, further raising concerns about fiscal mismanagement and lack of accountability.
These actions perpetuate a system that prioritizes the interests of the few over the needs of the many. These funds are being manipulated for political gain, leaving the Filipino people in the dark.
Kilusang Mayo Uno calls on all Filipinos to remain vigilant and assert our right to transparency. We must demand to know where these unprogrammed appropriations are being siphoned off to. The funds of this nation are the blood and sweat of Filipino workers who labor tirelessly every day. We deserve to know where these resources are going, and we will not be silenced.
We demand that CIF and other anomalous funds in the proposed national budget be allocated to genuine service of the people such as direct health services, creation of classrooms, salary increase of rank-and-file government employees, teachers and public health personnel.
We call on all workers and citizens to join us in demanding accountability from our leaders. It is our right to know, and it is our duty to act. The fight against corruption and for transparency is a fight for the dignity and future of every Filipino.