Transparency sought over subsidy rollout

THE government must improve transparency in disbursing subsidies to sectors hit by the ongoing oil crisis, a governance expert said.

“In providing subsidies, more transparency, participation and accountability are needed,” Joy G. Aceron, convenor-director of transparency group G-Watch, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

She warned that government assistance programs have been subjected to corruption schemes like kickbacks, ghost distribution, as well as inclusion or exclusion errors in the past.

“Using existing tried-and-tested institutional arrangements with robust accountability mechanism, was more efficient and less vulnerable to abuse that newly created processes,” she added.

Ms. Aceron added that the government must consider the current situation and effects of the Middle East conflict to the country, along with crafting necessary scenarios and options for response.

“Providing the people the big picture situation would justify the necessary response,” she said. “Without transparency on how we are affected, there is the danger that this situation could be abused to justify spending that we don’t need, and allocations that are not needed are always vulnerable to corruption.”

Hansley A. Juliano, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, said that government must have a constant Commission on Audit oversight and engagements with civil service organizations in the disbursement of subsidies.

“We are clearly no longer allergic to socialized spending anyway (as witnessed in free tuition in higher education). We just need to ensure the conditions that facilitate this come into play,” he said in a Messenger chat.

Mr. Juliano added that it would be an “insult” to the public for the government to deny government aid “since it basically ruins the social contract underlying taxation.”

He said that a Senate bill seeking to provide a supplemental budget may likely stall in Congress amid potential infighting.

Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel filed Senate Bill No. 1986 seeking a P53.8-billion supplemental budget to provide emergency aid to vulnerable sectors hit by Middle East conflict, these include subsidies for the transportation, agriculture, and migrant workers.

“The passage of such a bill will be a coup argument for lawmakers keen on scoring points from their supporters,” he added.

The Marcos administration has been scrambling to respond to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. It has allocated about P230 billion in assistance and subsidies for affected sectors and Filipinos, according to the Budget department.

The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has placed uncertain pressure towards global oil supply as Tehran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint that carries about 20 million barrels of oil per day, in response to continued US-Israeli aggression.

Meanwhile, the government was urged to ban the presence of officials during relief distributions and payouts, as well as the use of guarantee letters for burial and educational purposes.

In January, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered the immediate removal of officials’ name and image in government-funded projects, through Memorandum Circular No. 2026-006.

“The good side is it is the starting point. But again the issue is the implementation, more importantly the monitoring and evaluation within and among LGUs [local government units],” University of the East Political Science Professor Eric Daniel C. de Torres said via Messenger chat, raising a concern on the implementation of the campaign in far flung areas.

He added the need to institutionalize the policy through an enabling law which would also prevent department heads from using their agencies as platforms to run for office. — Adrian H. Halili and Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel