Department of Finance (DoF) Circular 003-2024 is, without a doubt, an instrument of corruption. In effect, it is an order to steal money from the poor, the sick and the patients in hospitals.

With all due respect, I beg to disagree with the seven former chiefs of the finance department, former Secretary Benjamin Diokno not among them, who signed a joint statement supporting the move of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto under his DoF Circular 003-2024 issued to PhilHealth to, among other things, remit its P89.9-billion excess fund to the national treasury to be diverted to unprogrammed appropriations supposedly to fund initiatives in support of economic growth.

DoF Circular 003-2024 is immoral, illegal and unconstitutional.

While the intention to support economic growth is highly laudable, the transfer to the national treasury of the funds to be used for unprogrammed appropriations is deplorable.

Recto based his circular on the “insertion of a general provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act, specifically Section 1 (d) of XLII, on unprogrammed appropriations.”

Based on our experience in the aftermath of the congressional pork barrel fund (Priority Development Assistance Fund) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) investigations, the nature of the insertion rendered Recto’s DoF Circular 003-2024 worse than Florencio Abad’s Budget Circular 541-2012 on two counts.

First, Abad’s Budget Circular 541-2012 had written presidential approval, but was still very bad; while Recto’s DoF Circular 003-2024 had no written approval whatsoever. Keen observers have opined that this must be the reason the President sought the opinion of the seven former finance chiefs.

Second, Recto’s circular covered what is by its nature a trust fund. It is the money of the poor for the poor; the blood money of government employees’ premiums for their health insurance; it is for indigents, senior citizens, persons with disability, Sangguniang Kabataan officials, and all Filipinos aged 21 years and above without the capacity to pay the premiums, which is provided for them under Article II, Section 15 of the Constitution.

The allocation by Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman of P20 billion of the unused PhilHealth funds, on orders of Mr. Recto, to finance the recently released health allowance for healthcare workers is malversation of the money for the poor and the sick, in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

How many times did both Recto and Pangandaman breach the threshold of P50 million for committing plunder? Ombudsman Samuel Martires has visible and circumstantial grounds for action, one of them being the second paragraph of the SC decision declaring the DAP unconstitutional.

Beware the dummies

With the Philippine Ports Authority projecting an 18-percent increase in cruise passengers and advocating for the development of new cruise terminals, local communities have substantial economic potential. However, rigorous oversight is crucial to prevent the economic benefits from being monopolized by foreign interests and to ensure their alignment with and contribution to the nation’s development goals.

To address these issues effectively, Congress and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) must conduct thorough investigations into the direct recruitment practices of international cruise operations. These investigations should assess a few of these practices that they align with national laws and regulations, and identify areas where regulations might need tightening, or enforcement needs to be tightened.

Establishing more explicit guidelines and stricter enforcement mechanisms that require all foreign cruise operators to engage with legal manning agencies would ensure compliance with regulations and enhance the economic returns flowing into the local economy from these international engagements.

By reinforcing these requisitions and ensuing rigorous enforcement, the Philippines can safeguard its maritime industry from undue foreign influence; promote fair employment practices; and maintain a robust economic landscape conducive to sustainable growth.

Congress and the DMW must take a proactive stance to secure a prosperous economic future firmly in the hands of the Filipino people and their industries.

The government has had a headstart dealing with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. Let us continue this streak into deeper waters and fish out foreign control lurking in the high seas.