Spend Those Two Billion Pesos on Better Things

Out of her magic hat and in a span of one week, Gloria Arroyo had made billion-peso allocations: one billion pesos to drive the NPA to the ground, and another billion peso to battle corruption.

The more I think of it, the more I am convinced that Arroyo really wanted a reenacted budget. This gives her too much leeway in juggling of funds; she began by allocating two billion pesos. This is probably from her pork barrel. And since another impeachment is in the offing, she needs to make sure that the complaint will be quashed in the House; that will entail money.

Yet, she has not allocated anything to help the victims of Mt. Bulusan. Sure, there is a calamity fund to draw money from; her actions only show where her priorities lie. The hawks in the Fortress by the Pasig don’t care about victims of the explosion; they are more interested in defeating the NPA, which the government has failed to do so for twenty years. Will she draw money from her magic hat, too, for the victims of Mt. Bulusan?

On another note, I hope civic groups will begin soliciting help for victims of Mt. Bulusan.