KUNG IGNORANTE PALA KAMI, PWES SAGUTIN N'YO NA LANG ITO. TOTAL, MATATALINO KAYO. Sa mga miyembro ng Kongreso, ito ang mga tanong mula sa mga red flags na inilabas ng People's Budget Coalition at BetterGov.PH tungkol sa proposed 2027 national budget: 1. ₱199 BILLION SA BUDGET CHANGES. Bakit lumobo ang House reallocations mula sa unang inanunsyong ₱116 billion tungong halos ₱199 billion? Sino ang nagpanukala ng mga karagdagang pagbabago, at nasaan ang kumpletong dokumentasyon? 2. ₱190 BILLION SA HALOS 7,000 BAGONG PROYEKTO. Bakit walang publicly available supporting attachments ang libo-libong House-added infrastructure projects? Paano napatunayang kailangan, feasible, at properly costed ang mga ito? 3. MGA KALSADA SA DAGAT? Bakit may farm-to-market roads na ang coordinates ay lumilitaw sa Celebes Sea at Philippine Rise, at mga gusaling lumilitaw sa Algeria at Nigeria? Kung clerical errors lang, nasaan ang validated locations at corrected project documents? 4. ₱72 BILLION SA DAGDAG NA INFRASTRUCTURE. Bakit nadagdagan ng ₱42.7 billion ang multipurpose buildings at ₱29.2 billion ang access roads? Ano ang pamantayan sa pagpili at sino ang nagpanukala ng mga ito? 5. BILYON-BILYONG BAWAS SA HEALTHCARE. Bakit binawasan ng ₱4.9 billion ang immunization at family health commodities at ₱4.5 billion ang Health Facilities Enhancement Program, habang dinagdagan ng ₱24 billion ang MAIFIP? Bakit mas pinapalakas ang medical assistance kaysa sa pag-iwas sa sakit at pagpapahusay ng mga ospital? 6. AYUDA O POLITICAL PATRONAGE? Bakit tinaasan ang MAIFIP mula ₱24.2 billion tungong ₱48.2 billion at dinagdagan ng ₱24.8 billion ang AICS? Anong safeguards ang magtitiyak na hindi nakadepende sa political referrals ang pagtanggap ng tulong? 7. BAWAS SA TRANSPORTASYON AT DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. Bakit may malaking reductions sa Metro Manila Subway, North-South Commuter Railway, calamity funding, at flood management? Ano ang epekto nito sa commuters, project timelines, at disaster preparedness? 8. MULA ₱414 MILLION TUNGONG ₱4.8 BILLION? Bakit ganoon kalaki ang itinaas ng allocation sa Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office? Ano ang objective criteria sa pamamahagi ng infrastructure funds sa bawat distrito? 9. ₱112 BILLION SA UNPROGRAMMED APPROPRIATIONS. Anong legal at transparency safeguards ang inilagay matapos ang mga naging constitutional issues sa nakaraang national budgets? Mga kongresista, hindi namin sinasabing lahat ng red flags ay korapsyon. Pero hindi rin kailangang may criminal conviction muna bago magkaroon ng karapatan ang taumbayang magtanong. At huwag ninyong sabihing taga-review lang ang Kongreso. Sa Article VI ng Konstitusyon, may kapangyarihan kayong amyendahan at ipasa ang appropriations bill, alinsunod sa constitutional limits. Hindi kayo simpleng tagabasa ng budget na ipinasa ng Executive. Pagod na ang mga Pilipinong magbayad ng buwis habang naghihintay ng disenteng ospital, paaralan, kalsada, at serbisyong pampubliko. Hindi namin kailangan ng panibagong lecture tungkol sa budget process. Kailangan namin ng dokumento, paliwanag, at pananagutan. Kung mali ang findings ng People's Budget Coalition at BetterGovPH, ilabas ang ebidensiya at itama ang mga ito. Hindi ignorance ang paghingi ng resibo. At hindi kailangang maging eksperto sa public finance para maging karapat-dapat sa tapat na gobyerno. Pera namin iyan. Karapatan naming magtanong. Trabaho ninyong sumagot.

The house of representatives just called us 'ignorant'. You just made the angry nerds, angrier. We are not ignorant. We are fully aware of what you're doing ✊🏼. We have receipts!

Here is list of ALL the insertions that Abet Garcia is looking for. May leaderboard ito with the names and faces of the most ganid in the HOR. Explore and share: budget.bettergov.ph/hgab/202… Sama-sama tayong magbantay sa national budget!

MAAWA NAMAN KAYO! Yesterday’s budget hearing left me torn between despair and hope. Engaging with diverse advocacy groups, both young and old, united as guardrails for public funds was truly inspiring. As a steadfast budget vanguard myself, it has further strengthened my resolve.

LIKE UNCLE, LIKE NEPHEW?! SANDRO MARCOS' DISTRICT TOPS ₱4.38-B BUDGET INSERTIONS LIST — WATCHDOG The congressional district of House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, nephew of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, topped the list of districts with the largest House-added infrastructure projects in the proposed 2027 national budget, according to the People's Budget Coalition. The budget watchdog flagged ₱4.38 billion worth of additions for Ilocos Norte's 1st District, while raising concerns over nearly ₱190 billion in House-inserted projects allegedly lacking published supporting documents. The coalition warned that such insertions could expose government agencies to corruption risks and called for greater transparency in the budget process. 🎥 Senate of the Philippines

I was in the Committee of Finance public hearing with CSOs today. Sen. @iampinglacson did invite CSOs to join the Bicam. They will likely invite the same CSOs they invited today, so will be there hopefully as a volunteer of the People’s Budget Coalition.

PADILLA CRITICIZES PH STANCE ON CHINA, US Senator Robin Padilla criticized what he described as a contradiction in the Philippines’ approach to foreign powers, accusing some officials of being willing to confront China while remaining “slaves” to a distant foreign power. In a social media post, Padilla contrasted the Philippines’ position toward China with its relationship with the United States, using the distance between the two countries to underscore his point. His remarks come amid continuing debates over the Philippines’ security alliances, sovereignty, and approach to tensions with China.

CAYETANO URGES SENATOR-JUDGES TO REMAIN POLITICALLY NEUTRAL IN IMPEACHMENT CASES Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called on fellow senator-judges to uphold political neutrality in all impeachment proceedings, particularly those involving the president and vice president. In a Facebook post, Cayetano stressed that decisions to convict must be based solely on evidence supporting the articles of impeachment, without political incentives or considerations. He also prayed for wisdom and discernment among senators despite their differences in opinion, emphasizing their responsibility to serve God and the Filipino people.

Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) President Victor Lim said declaring Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata would be difficult, as China could retaliate by taking similar action against the Philippine ambassador in Beijing. Instead, he urged both sides to sit down, talk, and ease tensions rather than engage in public arguments on social media. Lim also warned that tensions between the two countries could affect the Philippines’ exports and imports. “Sana 'wag…calm down na lang para our economy will be moving forward,” says Lim. | via @vonneaquino Visit gmanetwork.com/news for updates.

CARLOS SAYS BEIJING WANTS THE PHILIPPINES TO LEAN LESS TOWARD THE US Former National Security Adviser Dr. Clarita Carlos says she does not believe China wants to go to war with the Philippines, but argues that Beijing is concerned about Manila’s close alignment with Washington. Speaking on #TheSpokes, Carlos says China would prefer the Philippines to act more in line with its Asian ties rather than lean toward its traditional ally under the Mutual Defense Treaty. These are Carlos’ views on the dynamics shaping Philippine-China relations. Watch #TheSpokes on Bilyonaryo News Channel. #TheSpokes #BilyonaryoNewsChannel #ClaritaCarlos #PhilippinesChinaRelations #UnitedStates #ForeignPolicy

❌ DDS: “Sara first exposed the violations of the 2024 Budget.” ✅ FACT: Cong. Edcel Lagman of the Liberal Party was the FIRST. Sara only talked about the Dep Ed budget and NOT unprogrammed appropriations. ⚠️ VERDICT: Credit grabber si Sara at DDS. Propaganda pa more! 😂

Tito P sent a letter through his legal team to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), explaining his absence due to mental health concerns. NBI sought to question him about a now-deleted podcast episode in which he mocked Josh Aquino and compared him to his younger brother, Bimby. READ: abs-cbn.com/entertainment/sh…

CARLOS URGES OFFICIALS TO ALIGN REMARKS WITH THE PRESIDENT’S POSITION Former National Security Adviser Dr. Clarita Carlos says only Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro should speak on behalf of the President in dealing with the Chinese ambassador. Speaking on #TheSpokes, Carlos urges other officials to avoid statements that contradict the President’s position and calls for a lower tone in discussions with China. She also points to ongoing meetings between the Philippine and Chinese foreign ministries as a channel for dialogue. Watch #TheSpokes on Bilyonaryo News Channel. #TheSpokes #BilyonaryoNewsChannel #ClaritaCarlos #PhilippinesChinaRelations #DFA #ForeignPolicy

Rep. Toby Tiangco reveals that the Supreme Court's landmark rulings declaring portions of recent national budgets unconstitutional could potentially be used to file an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after the one-year ban.