The first time I heard of the term budget insertions was about 30 years ago, during the Ramos administration. It referred to funding provisions for projects or programs identified by congressmen in the General Appropriations Bill. The insertions were over and above what was then called the Countrywide Development Fund.
The public is getting swamped with false, misleading, or completely fabricated information that creates confusion, anxiety, fear and distrust, aggravating the anger and stress over the rising cost of living and our daily struggles with congested traffic and inefficient government services.
The former president is indeed in "troubling conditions," not because of what his children are protesting about, but because of the special treatment accorded him, such as the frequent visits by family members, the comforts at the Scheveningen penitentiary and the legal processes on the charges against him, things the thousands of suspected drug users killed under his brutal drug war never had.
Mr. president, the people are watching with eagle eyes and eagerly waiting for more decisive actions from your end.
When the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, created on Sept. 11 under Executive Order 94, conducts its own probe, how will it untangle the complex web of untruths and distortion of facts by personalities perceived to have benefited from the anomalous deals?
Bersamin's statement rebuking the House over a plan that had been shelved appears to be unnecessary, unless the Palace wants to send a message to Romualdez to "moderate [their] greed."
The current brouhaha over fictitious and anomalous flood-control projects necessitates closer monitoring of how Congress will play around the proposed P6.793 trillion budget for 2026.
The president should sustain his efforts in finding the truth behind these “ghost” and other anomalous projects, not only in the DPWH but also in other agencies involving procurement and other forms of contracts. That would be a meaningful legacy to leave behind.
Mayor Alfred Romualdez and the Sangguniang Panlungsod initially opposed the project, said to be an initiative of Tingog party-list led by Rep. Yedda Romualdez, the wife of his first cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Ombudsman can also impose the penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office as a direct penalty for certain violations, like those under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, or as an accessory to other administrative penalties, such as dismissal from service, particularly for grave offenses like dishonesty.
