The recent Supreme Court ruling which nullified several lump sum appropriations in the previous national budget reinforces the people’s demand to hold Ferdinand Marcos Jr accountable for inserting and expanding pork barrel programs and distributing corruption-tainted projects to his allies in Congress.
The ruling has confirmed what Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, its allied organizations, anti-corruption watchdogs, and Makabayan legislators have been asserting: That Marcos is the mastermind of corruption and Malacañang Palace is the ground zero of the massive and systematic looting of public funds.
The criminal modus operandi mentioned in the ruling should have been identified earlier if supposedly independent government bodies performed their duty in combating corruption. In the past year, Marcos used the vast powers of his office to shield himself, his office, cronies, and closest relatives and subordinates from being held accountable for the flood control scam. He directed his allies in the House of Representatives to hastily dismiss the impeachment complaint filed by Bayan and other people’s organizations against him. The Ombudsman targeted political rivals instead of pursuing a comprehensive probe against all those implicated in the corruption scandal, including Palace officials.
The Supreme Court ruling is a reminder that pork barrel and the patronage system is embedded in the bankrupt budget and political system. Malacañang and corrupt legislators are always colluding to normalize the insertion and expansion of pork barrel funds that are used to maintain their political dominance. This is linked to the persistence of bureaucrat capitalism wherein corrupt officials like Marcos use their position and influence to amass ill-gotten wealth to consolidate their political and economic clout.
Bayan calls for vigilance during the budget deliberations in the Senate and Bicameral committee. The Supreme Court ruling should serve as a guide in removing pork barrel items in the national budget and realigning them to social services.
The call for accountability is mainly addressed to Marcos, but corrupt officials like Sara Duterte should not assume that she can lead the people’s demand for transparency and justice. The Senate should convict her and make her accountable for misusing confidential funds and acquiring ill-gotten wealth.
Bayan calls for protests to fight corruption impunity and drumbeat the call for truth, transparency, accountability, and justice. Marcos should face investigation and prosecution for his criminal role in drafting, approving, and distributing corruption-laden and fraudulent projects through the anomalous unprogrammed appropriations. Protests will continue even after the budget deliberations as we demand the full accountability of Marcos and his co-conspirators.
Lahat ng sangkot dapat managot, simula sa tuktok!
Marcos, hari ng korapsyon!
Convict Sara Duterte!
Abolish pork barrel!
Burukrata kapitalismo, ibagsak!