Dear Editor,

Disgraceful.

The lady officer at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who swallowed the $300 bills she stole from a passenger does not epitomize Filipinos in general. What the incident depicts is the much bigger (same) picture of stealing and swallowing that has been happening in the government. Wretched.

Compare that shameful NAIA act with those of our officials (past and present) who have stolen and swallowed and continue to steal and swallow billions of pesos from the nation's coffers, not out of hunger or need, but out of turpitude and greed, officials who similarly use their positions in government to carry out their trade, big time. Such is their "great swallow." No contest.

Our recovery or plunging deeper into the pit of misery as a people and nation rests on you now, our legislators.

The matter reflects and represents how you are leading the nation.

Don't hurry to scan the "budget." Scrutinize the dubious parts of it to their minutest details. Perform your part. Think and pray a thousand times before you approve the allocations for each department/agency. Do your work. Move to quash the fishy, shady funds and abolish the needless, redundant offices and functionaries — for savings purposes and to lessen corruption/misdeeds among wolves, vultures, and crocodiles in "public service."

With sincere hearts, let us all support President Bongbong Marcos and be one with him, BUT with open eyes. Hence, chuck the "intelligence" and "confidential" funds.

There is nothing intelligent about them and nothing for the nation and our people to gain from them. The name itself, "confidential," tells it all.  And it must be all wrong. Give budget to where the budget is needed, but not as a confidential fund.

Even those that are not confidential are plundered, how about those that are confidential?

Fiesta. Nothing beats transparency, especially if money, huge money at that, is involved. Back to your senses.

What have these funds accomplished so far, with all their confidentialities, except wrongdoing? What are they for, given that security problems (cyber or otherwise) in the country remain the same, even worsen, despite the funds — for reasons likely linked to the justification of the existence of the so-called "intelligence community"? Hence, the pretext for the ambiguous, queer, secret funds. Clever. Wily. Unconscionable.

"To give real service, you must add something (to what you do) which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity." — Douglas Adams

Dear BBM, the intelligence and confidential funds in the national budget are a TEST OF SINCERITY AND INTEGRITY on your part as the Chief Executive of our country. The same applies to Vice President Sara Duterte et al. Our belief and confidence as a people in what the BBM administration is doing would and should stem from these two virtues beyond all else.

Do things for God, and you will surely do them for the people. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." — Colossians 3:23

Reni M. Valenzuela

renivalenzuelaletters@yahoo.com