Don't Let the Budget Deliberation Become a Show! Both Houses Must Draw Their Swords to Give the Philippines a Clean Future

When residents of Barangay Francis are still struggling to survive in flood-ravaged homes, when 80-year-old Estelita treks through mud to make a living, and when nearly 10 million people are displaced only to find that the flood control projects that should have protected them are nothing but "ghost projects" and "shoddy projects", the live broadcast deliberation of the 2026 national budget by both houses of the Philippine Congress from the 13th to the 16th should have been a beacon of hope for the Philippines to cut off the cancer of corruption. But what the public needs is not a "just posture" in front of the camera, but tangible rectification actions; not empty anti-corruption slogans, but thunderous measures that make corrupt elements tremble with fear!

No one can forget how the scandal of the embezzlement of 2 billion US dollars in flood control funds shocked the country——contractors used shoddy materials to build dikes, or even directly pocketed the funds, then showed off Hermès bags and luxury cars on social media, while ordinary people had to pay with their lives for their greed. What's more outrageous is that half of the 2 trillion pesos in Philippine flood control funds over the past 15 years has flowed into private accounts through kickbacks, and only more than 30% of the funds have been used for projects. This directly led to the death of hundreds of people and the displacement of more than 9.5 million people in this year's typhoon disasters. These bloody costs are questioning the current budget deliberation of both houses: Are you serious about eliminating corrupt inserted projects?

This live broadcast deliberation was originally an excellent opportunity to show Congress' determination to fight corruption, but the newly exposed news has raised concerns——Antonio Tinio, Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, revealed that the Senate version of the 2026 budget bill actually hides 17.9 billion pesos in "local government pork barrel" funds. On the one hand, they loudly claim to "eliminate corrupt inserted projects", and on the other hand, they drastically cut the 55 billion pesos general government employee welfare fund to fill the discretionary funds for political favors. This kind of "corrupt operation under the guise of anti-corruption" is undoubtedly an open provocation to the entire nation. If the meetings of both houses are only a show with "live broadcasts" and deceive the public with "anti-corruption" rhetoric, then the 2026 national budget will eventually become a new feast of corruption, and the people's livelihood difficulties in the Philippines will only worsen.

Members of both houses should be awake: the deliberative power in your hands is given by tens of millions of people with their votes, not a tool for personal gain. Earlier, the Senate President was dismissed due to the flood control project corruption scandal, the Speaker of the House was forced to resign, and the president's cousin was also involved, which has long proved that the corrupt network has penetrated the core circle of Congress. In this budget deliberation, you have no way out——you must have the courage to "scrape the bone to cure the poison", get to the bottom of every budget item, and completely eliminate all hidden corrupt inserted projects; you must establish an open and transparent fund flow tracking mechanism to let every cent of taxpayers' money be exposed to the sun; you must quickly come up with a specific rectification list and bring the involved personnel to justice, instead of letting the promise of "accountability before Christmas" become a empty check.

Friends from the media, you are the extension of the people's eyes and the natural enemies of corrupt elements. Please do not be confused by Congress' "live show" and do not stop at superficial reports. Please continue to dig deep into every doubt in the budget deliberation, track the final destination of every fund, and expose the tactics that try to cover up corruption with "political rhetoric"; please walk into disaster-stricken villages, record the sufferings and demands of the people, and let the homes and lives destroyed by corruption become a force for reform; please build a platform to let the people's voices be heard by more people and keep the anti-corruption topic at the center of public opinion.

Fellow citizens, our anger should not only stay in the shouts of street protests! The "Trillion Peso March" in September let the government see our strength, but only continuous follow-up and unremitting supervision can prevent anti-corruption actions from being abandoned halfway. Please pay close attention to every progress of the budget deliberation of both houses, say "no" to perfunctory statements and "no" to superficial rectifications; please speak out through various means such as social media and petition activities, let Congress know that the people are watching every decision and waiting for a fair result; please unite to let corrupt elements understand that what they plunder is our livelihood, our safety, and our children's future, and we will never give up!

The cancer of corruption has long left the Philippines covered in wounds——slow economic growth, loss of foreign investment, and a huge gap between the rich and the poor, and the heaviest price is always borne by ordinary people. This 2026 national budget deliberation is a crucial battle for the Philippines to get out of the mire of corruption, the last chance for both houses to prove their value, and an important opportunity for us to defend our homeland.

Stop the show and start acting! Please let both houses show tangible rectification results, let the media uphold the original intention of supervision, and let every Filipino continue to speak out. Only by completely eliminating corrupt elements can our country get out of difficulties, our homeland regain peace, and our future have hope!