On the other, how can I be an effective advocate without doing evidence-based policy research?

Either way, this is how I choose to live out the spirit of EDSA.

At the 2025 OBS webinar last night, we were asked: “Are you an advocate or a researcher? I guess I am both? On one hand, what is the point of doing public financial management research if I do not advocate for better budgets and PFM systems?

In between these two important events yesterday were some inevitable work related to the ongoing refinements on the PH PEFA++ Assessment Report.

It was a very long and exhausting day that ended quite literally at midnight with the kick-off webinar for the 2025 Open Budget Survey with a global community of PFM researchers and advocates.

Wut?! Ang weird pakinggan hahaha!

Never encountered “skill” used as a verb. Weird.

Interview starts at the 21:36 mark: www.youtube.com/live/jlFuwyH...

The current budget impasse highlights only one thing: the 2025 budget is a budget that favors politicians. There is nothing in it that genuinely prioritizes Filipino taxpayers.

…due to the absence of a line item in the ratified version of the 2025 budget.

Expounded as well on the implications of a reenacted budget.

If the President vetoes the massive congressional insertions, savings may be declared to augment the line items that were slashed. However, there is still a need for a supplemental appropriations bill to provide appropriations cover for the subsidy of PhilHealth…

I talked about the implications of imposing a direct veto on the 288B insertion in the DPWH and why a direct veto is insufficient to restore defunded items like the 74B subsidy to PhilHealth, the 50B cut on the 4Ps Program and billions worth of programs/projects from the budgets of major departments

288B to DPWH
19B to Congress

For sure, sa mga soft projects ang iba

My comments on the "inefficiencies"

bsky.app/profile/znsu...

The Bicam heads and the majority who voted yes to the 2025 Bicam report are undeniably ANTI-POOR!

Imagine slashing the DSWD by 96B and zero subsidy for PhilHealth's social insurance program. Unthinkable!

THIS IS THE WORST NATIONAL BUDGET I HAVE EVER SEEN.

Miscellaneous and Personnel Benefits Fund - 5B slashed
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund - 0.5B slashed
Pension and Gratuity Fund - 35B slashed

Total: 40.5B slashed from Special Purpose Funds.

PhilHealth - 74.4B slashed
NIA - 23.2B slashed

Total: 97.6B slashed from two major GOCCs alone

Summary of slashed budgets:

DA - 20B slashed
DepEd - 11.5B slashed
DOH - 25.8B slashed
DOLE - 18B slashed
DSWD - 95.9B slashed (NCIP slashed to ZERO; 4Ps Program slashed from 114B to 64B)
DOTr - 16.7B slashed
CHED - 26.9B slashed

Total: 214.8B slashed from NGAs

nd they have the gall to tell us this is all because of inefficiencies. Well, the inefficiencies will not disappear by slashing funds year after year.

They should be fixing those inefficiencies. What the hell are they all in office for?