They were roundly dismissed by the Duterte haters as mere political noise.
Noise? P241 billion worth of noise?
Today, BBM and his allies in civil society and the Church have no choice but to stop and reflect hard. Perhaps some soul-searching is in order.
The Supreme Court’s ruling should be a moment of reckoning. The questions raised over enormous budgetary additions, unprogrammed appropriations, and the power exercised during the bicameral process were not the rantings of political enemies. They were serious constitutional questions—and the Court has now found provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets unconstitutional.
And think for a moment about what hundreds of billions of pesos represent to ordinary Filipinos. Money of this magnitude could mean thousands upon thousands of decent, affordable homes for families who have none; modern hospitals serving rural communities; classrooms, teachers and policemen where they are desperately needed; clean and accessible water for impoverished communities; and solar power bringing electricity to remote households beyond the reach of the commercial grid. Instead, the Filipino people are left asking why so much public money became entangled in questionable budgetary maneuvers in the first place.
This is bigger than personalities. Bigger than political camps. Bigger than whichever family name one happens to love or hate. Public money, OUR money, is not a political war chest. The Constitution is not an inconvenience to be maneuvered around. And accountability cannot depend on whose side one is on. If there is justice, those responsible for this crime must answer for it through the full force of the law. We, the people, deserve nothing less.
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