Spend political capital

Spend political capital | Daily Tribune

Cosmetic solutions to salvage the severe erosion in public confidence will not suffice amid the order for courtesy resignations.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must show his fangs by eradicating the perception of indifference, incompetence, and corruption within the Cabinet and his administration.

Half-baked solutions and employing desperate measures against administration opponents disguised as governance imperatives will not click with the public.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, campaign manager of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, which fared poorly in the midterm elections, blamed Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment and President Rodrigo Duterte’s surrender to the International Criminal Court for the double whammy against the administration.

The twin efforts against the Dutertes, in succession, were seen as an operation to neutralize a strong political rival in the 2028 presidential polls.

However, public confidence started to wear thin during the clash over the 2025 national budget, which led to the discovery of blank items suspected of being an accommodation for pork barrel projects.

The public demanded resolute action then, but the veto of over P194 billion in line items from the 2025 GAA fell short of expectations.

The P6.326-trillion national budget was finalized after a contentious process marked by allegations of manipulation, constitutional violations, and public dissatisfaction.

The vetoed items were seen as an expedient move to quell the public uproar rather than address the budget’s manipulation, which opened the door to discretionary funds for members of Congress.

The vetoed P194 billion represented only three percent of the budget, a relatively small portion compared to the Department of Public Works and Highways remaining budget of P1.007 trillion. It was considered a repository of legislators’ pet projects and unaddressed cuts to education, health, and social welfare.

The Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) program, which has vague objectives, was subjected to a conditional implementation but it retained its P26 billion allocation. AKAP is considered a politically motivated program meant for election campaigns.

Retaining the program’s intended funds was at the expense of cuts to targeted social schemes like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Tiangco said the limited veto was a result of a “lack of time.” President Marcos was then pressed for a decision to avoid a reenacted budget. The conditional implementation of programs like AKAP suggested an attempt to impose stricter oversight.

The bicameral committee’s process, which limited broader legislative input, fueled accusations of budget manipulation. The veto did not resolve the transparency issues or restore trust.

In the bicam, blanks appeared in the budget, which fueled allegations of horse trading that would benefit members of Congress. The post-election campaign to rebuild the administration’s image will have to involve concrete efforts by the President to show a willingness to implement hard decisions.

Short-term solutions such as the massive government infusions to fulfil the P20 per kilo rice commitment, the offer of a reconciliation amid the impeachment trial, and the directive to submit courtesy resignations do not have the ingredient of sincerity that Filipinos are looking for.

The huge funds applied to the Benteng Bigas Meron na program, for instance, will have to be taken from the budget of other services or programs, similar to what was done to realize the AKAP that took funds from 4Ps.

The administration’s reset must involve the public through consultations to mark a new chapter for President Marcos that leverages his albeit rapidly degrading political capital.