Dispatch from Crame No. 1092:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the record-high P11 trillion debt of the Duterte Admin

7/7/21

Is it Build, Build, Build or Debt, Debt, Debt? That is the question of the hour. With countless unfulfilled promises, one cannot help but do the math and ask who actually gained from these projects. Bayan ba talaga ang nakinabang, o bayan ang namuhunan sa pagpapataba ng bulsa ng mga korap at ganid?

With a record-breaking ₱11.07 trillion in debt, the Duterte Administration continues to be on a borrowing frenzy. And they're far from done. Mukhang ginawa na ngang hobby ang pangungutang. Ang masaklap, taumbayan na naman ang maiiwan upang pagdusahan ang kagagawan ng iilan.

Duterte's debt spree must be kept in check considering Duterte's infamous sly tactics and his minions' ineptitude, negligence, and failure of coming up with a solid, well thought-out fiscal plan. Hindi naman maaaring hayaan lang na tumaba ang bulsa ng iilan habang milyon-milyong Pilipino ang patuloy na nagugutom at naghihikahos.

Contrary to Duterte's claims, may pera ang gobyerno! Ang problema, sa ibang mga proyekto inilalaan, at ibang tao ang nakikinabang.

In fact, even before the pandemic, Duterte already began his debt addiction by signing loans to fund his supposed "legacy" as the Golden Age of Infrastructure. But with less than a year before our country's nightmare under his administration ends, all they can brag about are PNoy administration infrastructure projects that they simply completed. The Duterte administration's dismal performance in the Build, Build, Build Program is undeniable, with most projects claimed by Duterte being properly attributable to PNoy. Pati mga proyekto niya inutang lang niya kay PNoy para kunwari meron din siyang nagawa, at hindi lang sya puro ngawa.

What adds salt to injury is that despite the trillions of loans acquired by Duterte to supposedly finance our COVID-19 response measures, we still rank second-lowest among 53 countries in a COVID-19 resilience study.

Kulelat po tayo sa 53 bansa pagdating sa porsyento ng mga taong nabakunahan, kalubhaan ng mga lockdown, kapasidad sa paglipad at mga ruta sa pagbiyahe ng nabakunahan at iba pang indicators tulad ng fatality at positivity rate. Imbes na ayusin natin yung mga kakulangan, inaaway lang ni Duterte at mga tagapagsalita niya ang nagsasabi ng totoong kalagayan.

Sa sobrang kapalpakan, ang ?6.49 billion na pang-ayuda sana sa mga kababayan nating nangangailangan ay hindi naipamahagi hanggang nawalan na ng bisa ang Bayanihan 2. Perang inutang, natutulog lang dahil panay din ang tulog ng Pangulo.

One thing is certain. Duterte's legacy is a Golden Age of Debt! Duterte's debt legacy would be nightmarish for the next President, a humongous burden for us and the next generations. ###

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1092)