On Monday, party-list lawmaker Antonio Tinio revealed an alleged “bawas, dagdag, habol” scheme in the national budget, where funds originally allocated for programmed appropriations such as government salary increases were diverted to unprogrammed appropriations like flood control projects and aid programs.
Tinio explained that salary increases for government workers in 2024 were delayed until August because the appropriations were reduced and redirected to flood control and assistance programs, including the controversial AKAP program. He said, “In 2024, binawasan ‘yung pang sweldo at linagay sa program. Nagdagdag sa flood control at ayuda including the notorious AKAP. ‘Yung pambayad sa salary increase, hinabol ‘yun.”
He noted that funding for the 2024 salary increases eventually came from excess PhilHealth funds surrendered to the Treasury. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto previously stated that utilizing idle funds aligns with the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework aimed at reducing the fiscal deficit from 8.6% of GDP in 2021 to 3.7% by 2028 and lowering national debt from 60.9% of GDP in 2022 to 56.3% by 2028.
Tinio also highlighted that the size of flood control projects under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is twice that of allocations under former President Rodrigo Duterte and six times larger than those under ex-President Benigno Aquino III, saying, “Bumabaha ang flood control projects.”
He urged that the proposed investigation by an independent commission should lead to actual charges filed by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman, similar to the PDAF scam involving Janet Napoles.