Biz group urges 'zero tolerance' for corruption in 2027 budget process

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is calling for "zero tolerance" for corruption and questionable spending in the 2027 national budget, urging the government to institutionalize end-to-end transparency across the budget process.

According to the business group, the administration should allow the public to trace public expenditures from appropriation to actual expenditure.

"The technology to do this already exists. What is required is the political will to make transparency the rule rather than the exception," the statement read.

"Corruption in public spending is not only a governance issue. It is an economic issue. Every peso lost to corruption is a peso taken away from classrooms, hospitals, infrastructure, agriculture, social services, and programs that could create jobs and improve the lives of Filipinos," it added.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. submitted the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 to the 20th Congress earlier this month, developed from P11.690-trillion worth of funding proposals submitted by government agencies.

As Congress continues budget deliberations, the MAP said material amendments and insertions introduced, along with the bicameral conference, should be fully disclosed, including their proponents, amounts, and purposes.

"The MAP believes that there must be zero tolerance for hidden insertions, questionable appropriations, favored contractors, ghost or substandard projects, unexplained realignments, and the use of public funds for political accommodation or personal gain," the business group said.

"These practices have no place in a government that claims to uphold good governance and fiscal responsibility," it added.

The country has been plagued by the flood control corruption scandal, which has dragged public spending and, in turn, slowed economic growth to historic lows. Second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth stood at 2.3%, the weakest since the fourth quarter of 2009, excluding the contraction in the COVID-19 pandemic years.

"The MAP believes that accountability must apply equally, regardless of political affiliation, position, or influence. No official entrusted with public resources should be beyond scrutiny, and no expenditure involving taxpayers' money should be beyond reasonable public examination," the group said.

"Public office is a public trust, and those entrusted with the national budget carry an obligation to demonstrate that the interests of the Filipino people come before political or personal interests," it added. — VDV, GMA News