Tess

[MajorCrush @CrushMajor]

"But Naga City is pulling off something that feels almost alien in the Philippines right now. They are actually giving people the receipts. With the launch of their new People’s Budget Portal, Naga is staging a quiet revolution against traditional patronage politics."
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To be honest, when most Filipinos hear the word "budget," our minds instantly go to the worst place. We think of the massive flood control scandals, billions of pesos lost to ghost infrastructure projects, and the never-ending drama over confidential funds and hidden congressional budget insertions.

We’re so used to public money vanishing into a black box that we just assume corruption is the default setting.

But Naga City is pulling off something that feels almost alien in the Philippines right now. They are actually giving people the receipts. With the launch of their new People’s Budget Portal, Naga is staging a quiet revolution against traditional patronage politics.

Instead of hiding the city’s billions behind 500-page accounting spreadsheets designed to make your eyes glaze over, this platform lays everything bare. It translates dense government spending into eight simple, real-world goals you can actually track from your phone.

Things like building decent homes, keeping the streets walkable, and fixing actual flood-prone areas before the money even gets approved.

The real kicker, though, is that it stops politicians from playing gatekeeper with public funds. In a country where people often have to beg local officials for medical assistance or community funds, Naga’s People’s Budget Ordinance legally mandates that citizens and local groups get a direct seat at the table to decide where the money goes.

It effectively moves power out of closed-door city hall meetings and hands it straight to ordinary residents.

To top it all off, the entire digital blueprint is open-source and completely free for any other municipality in the country to copy-paste. At a time when public trust in government spending is at an all-time low, Naga is proving that transparency isn't some impossible, expensive dream. It just takes a local government with the political courage to stop hiding the numbers.

- Gerry Cacanindin

📸 Leni Robredo

[K 💫 @keifornal]

her reaction says it all 🔥😭

imagine defeating another world #2, the best server on tour, a former wimbledon champion and a 2x grand slam champion, THE elena rybakina!!

CONGRATS ALEX EALA! SOBRANG GALING MO HUHU MABUHAY KA 🙌💙🇵🇭

[Thea Tan @imtheatan]

🚨₱332 Billion Later: The Price of Falling on Deaf Ears

I wrote about this before; but now, there is a video from 7 years ago about House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr’s expose.

This whole mess went down during the Duterte administration, but the warnings completely fell on deaf ears.

Despite the massive red flags brought to light by Andaya Jr., the Duterte admin did nothing and the issue was swept under the rug.

1. Andaya exposed that ₱75 billion was secretly added to the 2019 DPWH budget.

A DPWH official testified under oath that this money did not come from their agency; it only appeared after the budget went through the DBM.

2. Out of that insertion, ₱14.5 billion went to flood control.

In total, the government allocated a staggering ₱332 billion for flood defenses in just three years (2017 to 2019).

Yet, heavily hit flood-prone areas continued to suffer.

3. While areas devastated by Typhoon Usman received virtually no help, over ₱385 million was funneled into six specific flood and drainage projects in Casiguran, Sorsogon — the hometown of the politically powerful Hamor family.

✳️ The Casiguran breakdown:

Himaoyon Flood Control (₱75M)
Lungib Seawall (₱80M)
Somal-ot Seawall (₱100M)
Cagpagol River Control (₱45M)
Suji River Control (₱25M)
Poblacion Drainage System (₱60M).

4. The main contractor landing these deals was Aremar Construction Corporation.

Corporate records revealed a massive conflict of interest: one of Aremar’s main incorporators was married to the daughter of then-DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

5. To bypass scrutiny, a firm called C.T. Leoncio Construction allegedly acted as a conduit.

They won around ₱2 billion in Bicol infrastructure projects but secretly passed the actual work and profits over to Aremar.

6. Andaya produced actual deposit slips proving that over ₱70 million (including a single transfer exceeding ₱11.4 million) was moved directly into Aremar's bank accounts, which major anti-money laundering questions for the banks involved.

🔸What happened to Andaya after:

Following this intense expose, Andaya faced heavy political backlash and survived multiple assassination attempts, including separate incidents where his vehicle was shot at in 2018 and 2021.

Tragically, before his findings could ever lead to any real accountability, he was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at his residence in June 2022.

🔸Where it stands today:

Because everything fell on deaf ears back then, absolutely nothing happened.

No final court ruling ever established criminal liability, and those accused denied any wrongdoing.

But the core question remains: if the government spent ₱332 billion back then, why are Filipinos still drowning in floods today?

Video source: https://t.co/ivVh4xrNs7

[Antidepressant Content @depressionlesss]

This is the richest man 🥺🥺❤️

[Antidepressant Content @depressionlesss]

The kittens weren't convinced that the dog was harmless until mom showed them that he’s a family

[Pari Koy @pads_nosi]

Mga DDS ay di na raw magsisimba dahil sa tulad kong pari. Malamang, sisilaban talaga kayo sa simbahan at tatamaan ng katotohanan ng Salita ng Diyos.

choice nyo yan!

[Mikee 🩷💚💙 @MikeeGulla]

Bakit bibigyan ni SILG Jonvic Remulla ng OPTIONS si Jinggoy Estrada? Bakit kinausap pa, Bakit di na lang damputin gaya ng pagdampot sa lolong namamalimos lang?!?! 🤬

Ladies and gentlemen, this is INJUSTICE in the Philippines!

[Chel Diokno @ChelDiokno]

Wow! Sana all may choices. 😒🙄

Yung ordinaryong Pilipino, walang option. Kinulong agad dahil napagkamalang nanlilimos.

Pero kapag makapangyarihang opisyal na may kasong plunder at graft, may pa-consultation muna?

Dapat patas ang proseso. Walang special treatment, walang VIP lane, walang batas na para lang sa mahihirap.

[Barry Gutierrez @barrygutierrez3]

Bihira ako humirit ng Latin maxim, pero eto parang bagay sa panahon:

Fatetur facinus qui judicium fugit.

He who escapes judgment confesses his guilt.

Ibig sabihin, kung pumuslit ka nang alas-dos ng madaling araw, hindi siguro dahil inosente ka. ⚖️

[Leisbeth Recto @leisbeth_recto]

ALAN PETER CAYETANO
BATO DELA ROSA
LOREN LEGARDA
ROBIN PADILLA
PIA CAYETANO
CAMILLE VILLAR

They are probably the MOST HATED PINOYS right now.

I do hate them.

Kayo ba?

[Thea Tan @imtheatan]

Let’s talk about political opportunism.

Remember when Camille Villar abandoned Alyansa so Sara Duterte could raise her hand?

Now, she’s saying Hudas daw ang kakalas sa grupo nila. Girl, tingin tingin sa salamin kung may time!

So, feeling mo high school barkadahan ang minority at majority sa Senado?

Why don’t you examine your own principles?

Don’t lecture on integrity when you sold yours so you can pander to the DDS!

Sit down, hypocrite! 😾

[Jesus Falcis 🇵🇭 @jesusfalcis]

Sibakin si Jonvic Remulla
Litisin si Sara Duterte
Arestuhin si Bato Dela Rosa
Patalsikin si Alan Peter Cayetano

SLAP them for slapping the Filipino people in their faces.

#ParaSaPilipinas

[Tess @tess_violeta]

@ABSCBNNews Gago.. ginagamit mo pa ang Salita ng Diyos sa katarantaduhan nyo.. mga demonyo kayo! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[Justin Dizon @iamjustindizon]

Lahat ito just to protect Sara Duterte.

Fuck this shit.

[Tess @tess_violeta]

@Genimae89 @manayleila Magfile din kayo ng case or casessq mga corrupt

[Leila de Lima @manayleila]

Saludo po tayo kay Rep. Jinky Luistro sa pamumuno sa komprehensibo at patas na pagdinig sa impeachment proceedings. Excellent sponsorship of the Justice Committee Report and Resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment.

[ؘ @popsinthe]

“walang kinalaman” daw yung impeachment case ni sara duterte sa laban para sa senate presidency. sa sobrang obvious ng galawan niyo parang insulto na lang yan sa common sense ng mga tao. HINDI KAMI TANGA, ALAN.

[Richard Heydarian @RichHeydarian]

QUESTION: If DDS bloc in SENATE yet again BLOCK ACCOUNTABILITY and go for PROTECTION of SARA DUTERTE, should we PEOPLE POWER!??

[Jesus Falcis 🇵🇭 @jesusfalcis]

⚠️ Leila De Lima was arrested inside the Senate while it was NOT in session.

⚠️ Trillanes was arrested inside the Senate while it WAS in session.

✅ There is no impediment against arresting Bato Dela Rosa.

International law is part of the law of the land. 👊

#ArrestBato

[Pari Koy @pads_nosi]

So, ang Philippine Senate ngayon ay kanlungan na ng kriminal!

What a shame! SHAME!