Second of a series

WITH the passage of the 2025 budget, dubbed as the most corrupt budget ever, it is now apparent that this country is led by criminals in the highest echelons of government — the executive and legislative branches. They have, in one fell swoop, done away with the concept of "checks and balances," the main feature of good governance. The separation of powers, the hallmark of our democracy enshrined in our 1935 and 1987 constitutions, has been reduced to a parody by our political leadership.

Consider the following: the legislative branch, made up of the two houses — the Senate and the House of Representatives — to make and amend laws. They also have the "power of the purse" to allocate funds for specific purposes through the passage of appropriate laws. In short, it oversees and controls the spending of the executive branch — the presidency, which includes the Office of the Vice President, the OVP, the president's nemesis.

The executive recommends spending proposals to Congress to align with its power to enforce laws and command the military. Metaphorically, this is equivalent to the "power of the sword;" its role is to take action to protect the nation from harm.

Independent branches — a fallacy

What, in fact, transpired was that the legislative branch has allowed the bicameral conference committee (bicam) to purportedly reconcile conflicting provisions to formulate a totally different allocation protocol, employing opaque budgetary practices characterized by a lack of transparency and accountability.

One glaring example is the equivalent of the unconstitutional "pork barrel," something they can divvy up among themselves. This is the generous P26 billion "Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program" (AKAP) funds, the House speaker's brainchild, the use of which is intended to catapult him to the presidency in 2028.

Over the Senate's initial objections, P5 billion bought the silence of the senators, and the balance of P21 billion satisfying the greed of the lower house, courtesy of the bicam, an entity that does not even appear in the Constitution. But it acts with impunity where decisions are concocted in the proverbial "smoke-filled rooms." And in a subsequent "moro-moro" of a purported line-item veto, President Marcos, complicit to this travesty, left this pork intact in the budget.

Midterm elections 2025

With this connivance, we can expect the Marcos-Romualdez cabal to have the logistics stolen from the people to get their political allies elected in the local government units, which consequently will impact the choice of district representatives. This is crucial to the ambition of Martin Romualdez as he needs to retain his speakership as a springboard to the presidency in 2028.

The incoming Senate could present a different scenario. Their being elected nationwide places them in a near equivalent status to the presidency. Traditionally the launch pad to the presidency, the Marcos-Romualdez cabal needs to buy their fealty.

Of the 12 chosen Marcos-Romualdez 2025 SEnate candidates, five incumbent re-electionists have a fair chance of making it — the fourth termers Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla. So, too, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino on their first full term.

Add to this list the possible return of three "same old, same old," Tito Sotto already on his fifth senatorial run, Panfilo Lacson on his fourth and Manny Pacquiao on his second. These eight senators out of 12 get Marcos-Romualdez a third of the 2025 Senate.

But the betting is that the Senate institution will further be debased with the entrance of two Tulfo siblings, completing a family of three: Raffy, Erwin and Ben. We currently have two sets of siblings, the Cayetanos and Ejercito/Estrada, and a mother/son, Cynthia and Mark Villar. On the wings are children and siblings-substitutes indecently waiting. Before long, this chamber will soon be dominated by political dynasties and family clans.

Cries of protests

On Jan. 13, citizens from all walks of life gathered to protest this impunity and massive plunder of the people's coffers. The Iglesia Ni Kristo (INK) called for its membership nationwide to show indignation under the guise of peace rallies. But trolls have also been inundating social media depicting this show of force as anti-Marcos and pro-Sara Duterte — which INK has belied.

On the other hand, similar rallies, particularly in the bailiwick of the Dutertes, are being held, but with a twist — to champion the cause of their family, particularly the VP and pointedly anti-Marcos, diverting the people from the family's own misdeeds.

Nevertheless, all these could be in response to what former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio declared in his social media postings: "...The halls of Congress and the Senate reek of betrayal. This is no longer just a circus — it is a grand heist, a vicious mockery of the Filipino people's sacrifices... our so-called leaders are busy looting not just our wealth but our very dignity. They are no leaders — they are traitors — a ruthless betrayal. Let us not mince words — this is treason. Yet these cowards violated the law with impunity. Our silence makes us complicit. Our silence feeds their arrogance. Why are we not in the streets? Why do we allow these thieves to gut our nation while we watch from the sidelines? Enough is enough. This is no longer about politics — it's about survival."

"But there is hope. We, the people, are the true power of this nation. We can end this betrayal. The time to fight is now. Let our anger be our fuel. Let our indignation spark a revolution of accountability. The question is not if we can fight back. The question is, will we fight back before it's too late?"

Carpio was a veteran of the EDSA People Power (EDSA 1986) that catapulted Cory Aquino to the presidency. Carpio understood the formula that precipitated the downfall of another Marcos in 1986. It worked then. But can this be replicated? Unfortunately, the subsequent EDSA 1986 events reflected Cory's naivete and ignorance and substituted another corrupt government. The goodwill of the hordes of Filipinos clamoring for change was enormously wasted by the "kamag-anak."

Immediate but intermediate solution

All these cries and rallies could amount to nothing, knowing the enormous political power and impunity of the reigning Marcos-Romualdez cabal and their cohorts in government. We need more than mere protest.

At this point, I quote a confidant of President FVR, John Raña's postings on "...the role of the military as the ultimate arbiter of political stability. This is rooted in historical precedent, as the military has played decisive roles in events such as the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001... the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is traditionally seen as a guardian of national stability, often stepping in during crises where civilian authority falters."

At this time when the political leadership is led by the corrupt — with very few exceptions — perhaps we need a shogun, a temporary one along the lines of an FVR.

We need the sane people in the military to take control of the situation.