Bagong Alyansang Makabayan led a protest as the House of Representatives resumed its budget hearing for the office of the vice president.
Wearing ‘pusit’ headdress, activists called out the stubborn behavior of Sara Duterte during the previous budget hearing.
Bayan seeks accountability over the anomalous spending of confidential funds by Duterte in 2022, and the questionable expenses of DepEd when Duterte was head of the agency.
Aside from demanding broader investigation over the misuse of funds, legislators can rationalize the OVP’s budget by removing unnecessary and redundant items like social services that are better realigned to agencies that have the mandate and competence over such functions, like the DSWD, DOH, NHA, and LGUs. If warranted, an impeachment complaint can be filed against Duterte.
Bayan reminded officials that being elected to power is not a mandate to plunder the nation’s wealth and use the public budget as their personal trust fund. After the anomalies in her public spending have been exposed, holding Duterte accountable is an important step to stop politicians from abusing their power with impunity.
Bayan also calls for the scrapping of all forms of pork barrel in the 2025 budget and the realignment of confidential funds to social services. We call for more protests to end the pork barrel system and the dismantling of bureaucrat capitalism which has allowed notorious dynasties to dominate the country’s politics.#
