KARAPATAN on the termination of the Office of the President’s budget hearing at the House of Reps
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS STATEMENT
08 September 2025
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN on the termination of the Office of the President’s budget hearing at the House of Reps
In less than one hour, the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations terminated today’s hearing on the proposed budget of the Office of the President, despite the manifestations of members of the opposition led by the Makabayan representatives and citing “parliamentary courtesy.”
We denounce this blatant disregard of transparency and accountability procedures in the name of “parliamentary courtesy.” There should be no sacred cows in the scrutiny on use of public funds – and yet, the office of the head of state has been exempted from such probe.
Within the President’s budget are the NTF-ELCAC’s funds and CIF to sow State terror, to bomb and impose de facto martial law on rural villages, to kill, illegally arrest and torture civilians, to file fabricated charges against dissenters, and to violate people’s rights and freedoms. Why give billions to fascists, when funds should be directed to free medicines and medical services, education, decent housing, and other much-needed social services?
Human rights defenders ask: Why increase the budget, from PhP1.95 billion to PhP8 billion, for a notorious task force, the NTF-ELCAC, that has nothing to show except for brazen violations of human rights and international humanitarian law? We ask: why shouldn’t we look at the alleged farm-to-market roads, school buildings, and health stations said to be in the NTF-ELCAC’s barangay development program, when these hard projects are the most obvious sources of corruption? We ask: Why does the President maintain a whopping PhP4.5 billion of confidential and intelligence funds, when the very same expenditures of the Vice President have been questioned and found to be susceptible to misuse and corruption? We ask – why is there an enormously big budget of PhP17.5 billion for the hosting of the ASEAN Summit, when the Filipino people are reeling from the annual impacts of typhoons and human-induced disasters, and social services are found wanting?
We denounce the Marcos Jr. regime’s hypocrisy in its supposed anti-corruption drive as it stonewalls efforts to hold the government accountable for use of public funds. With this act of the Committee, any investigation of the Office of the President regarding the flood control projects may all be for naught, as dubious reasons are thrown at efforts to scrutinize public funds. Mr. President, we are not fooled by your smokes and mirrors, your crocodile tears and your fake empathy, as we are reminded of the ways of your father, the dictator Marcos Sr., who had looted and plundered the nation’s coffers, while using public funds to kill, torture, abduct and disappear those who oppose his tyrannical rule.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.