For most, what has been approved at the bicameral committee is the same old corruption-prone budget. We were promised a cleaner national budget, but those responsible for drafting it did not put in enough work. The national budget is a huge document and it is not easy to run a fine comb through it. One expensive piece of equipment sent out by the mining company upon the request of local officials was a wheel excavator. Employees of the mining company, meanwhile, were subjected to an endless stream of threats, coercion and intimidation.

Source: Philippine Star December 19, 2025 18:40 UTC