Koko Pimentel wants ‘very rotten’ PH budget system refined

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (File photo from the Senate Social Media Unit)

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has called for refining the “very rotten” Philippine budget system.

Pimentel lamented the lack of transparency in the approval of the budget, especially as talks emerge regarding billions of dollars worth of “insertions” allegedly made in the 2024 national spending plan.

“Our budget approval system is very rotten. It’s very lacking in transparency,” Pimentel said in Filipino.

Sen. Imee Marcos recently exposed an alleged scheme surrounding the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

She said AKAP is one of the government-sponsored aids used to lure Filipinos into participating in the controversial signature drive for amending the 1987 Constitution.

The funding of P26.7 billion for AKAP was purportedly inserted in the 2024 national budget.

According to Marcos, the allocation was foreign to senators, especially her.

For Pimentel, this indicates that the government should overhaul the Philippine budget-making processes once and for all.

READ: Pimentel to question in SC P450B hike in 2024 budget’s unprogrammed funds

“The entire process must be improved,” he said when asked what specific aspect of the budget system must be refined.

“[National Expenditure Program] preparation all the way to bicam. Then, improve the transparency at all stages. The people must be involved. All expense items must be sufficiently described as to purpose, objective, and scope or coverage,” he added.