‘Angry nerds’
From all walks of life, civil society organizations (CSOs) and other non-government organizations (NGOs) have finally had their voices heard on their grave common concern on the use of the yearly budget of the national government. Appropriately calling themselves the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC), the convenors banded together these CSOs and NGOs to speak with one voice about accountability and transparency on the government’s use of taxpayers’ money.
PBC co-convenors led by Kenneth Isaiah Abante and AJ Montesa could only profusely thank the senators led by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian for actually walking the talk about promoting transparency in the budget process of Congress. At least 28 CSOs and NGOs were invited to participate at the resumption of the public hearing being done by the Senate finance committee on the proposed 2027 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Dubbed as “The President’s Budget,” the GAB contains the P7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) endorsed it for approval in the 20th Congress. The NEP is the original GAB as approved by PBBM and submitted to Congress by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Before they adjourned for their month-long recess last Oct. 12, the House of Representatives first approved the 2027 GAB under House Bill (HB) 10858. Among other items in the 2027 GAB were the priority projects and programs that PBBM identified in his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July this year. The House-approved 2027 GAB is now pending before the Senate finance committee.
Although both chambers are still in recess, the Senate resumed its budget hearings. While the proposed 2027 GAB was still deliberated at the Lower House, the Senate finance committee started already conducting public hearings on the proposed 2027 NEP.
Sen. JV Ejercito, who chairs the Senate finance committee, dedicated the entire public hearing last Monday on the proposed 2027 GAB to listen to the concerns and observations from the various CSOs and NGOs. Of the 55 officials and representatives invited, 42 of them registered their attendance.
The Senate finance committee is the counterpart of the House committee on appropriations that steers the passage into law of the annual GAB. Now headed by Sen. JV, the Senate finance committee was able to gather together the respective leaders of the CSOs and NGOs. Presiding over the public hearing, Sen. JV gave each leader of the CSOs and NGOs five minutes to air their respective views on the proposed 2027 GAB.
“Most have valid observations on budget flaws,” Sen. JV conceded. “Some are pushing for their respective advocacies,” the Senator noted.
Offhand, the budget watchdog told the senators they all did their respective reviews on the 2027 GAB. About 7,000 infrastructure projects estimated to be more than P1 trillion were red-flagged by most of them. The PBC warned a repeat of the “trillion-peso worth” of scandalous flood control projects.
Abante disclosed the PBC took this initiative in the aftermath of the “ghost” flood control projects scandal of the previous budget bills passed into law by Congress. In fact, the Supreme Court (SC) released last week its ruling that declared as unconstitutional the 2024, 2025 and the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The 2024 and the 2025 GAAs were approved by the 19th Congress while it was the present 20th Congress that approved the 2026 GAA.
The PBC officially transmitted the data culled from DBM and House official websites of their versions of the 2027 NEP and GAB. Testifying before the Senate budget hearing, Abante credited their 5,500 volunteers of web and software developers who helped the PBC in reviewing the proposed 2027 GAB.
Abante identified the PBC volunteers as “angry nerds” who created for them an artificial intelligence (AI)-aided app (short for application of a software program on computer) on a digitally designed program that went through the House-approved 2027 GAB.
The “angry nerds” tag is obviously a take-off from the popular “angry birds” video game.
The video game uses a slingshot to fling a flock of unique flightless birds at green pigs hiding inside or behind structures. The red-colored bird is the leader of the flock with a serious anger streak, while the green pigs are the main antagonists that constantly steal the birds. It became so popular that it was turned into a movie and cartoon with the same title.
On the other hand, “nerds” are persons who are known to be devoted to intellectual, academic or technical pursuits or interests. Being deeply passionate, knowledgeable or single-mindedly focused on a specific academic, technical or niche subject like computers, the “nerds” are at times referred to as persons who lack social skills, dress unfashionably or struggle with peer interactions.
As identified by these “angry nerds,” much of the projects the PBC found were not under line items in the 2027 GAB but smacked of “pork barrel” allocations of congressional districts. So they can be rightly called “angry nerds” in unmasking where the pigs hide the “pork barrel” allocations in the House-approved GAB.
The PBC “red flags” in the House-approved 2027 GAB pointed to about P695 billion in “hard pork” to denote “politicized infrastructure” projects; P210-billion “soft pork” to mean “patronage-driven ayuda” programs and P112-billion “shadow pork” tucked in unprogrammed appropriations (UA).
These allocations in the 2027 GAB were contained in different alphabet soup-like acronyms. PBC co-convenor AJ Montesa cited the “soft pork barrel” increases by the House were for discretionary programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development; Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Malacañang included its own “pork barrel” under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF).
Thankfully, these “angry nerds” created this free app that is accessible to all Filipino taxpayers that even technologically-challenged ones can easily view and understand.
abtestabtest Closing shop By CTALK | By Cito Beltran | 1 day ago Our current economic condition is deemed by many business owners as worse than the two-year lockdown during the COVID pandemic. Opinion Beyond the balde By SKETCHES | By Ana Marie Pamintuan | 1 day ago OK, carping critics, the suggestion to collect rainwater in buckets or balde for filtration into potable water is just one of several measures the government is rolling out or has implemented to address the impact... Opinion When BBM says don’t panic... By EYES WIDE OPEN | By Iris Gonzales | 5 hours ago The peso’s slide is heart-attack level. But President Marcos said we should not be alarmed. Opinion Traitors among us By THE CORNER ORACLE | By Andrew J. Masigan | 1 day ago Beijing’s threats are becoming increasingly brazen. On Oct. 15, China’s ambassador declared, “If we want to use force, we may easily win.” This is outright intimidation dressed as diplom... Opinion Collapse By FIRST PERSON | By Alex Magno | 5 hours ago Suddenly, “depreciation” seems too kind a word. The peso is simply collapsing. Opinion Latest More in Opinion EDITORIAL — Early learning crisis All Saints’ & All Souls’ Days Asean energy policy needs more youth voices Relevance abtest EDITORIAL — Expectations from a reshuffle 1 day ago One outcome is expected when there are changes in the Cabinet: better services from the government. Opinion Arresting an elderly journo, abetting a private army By GOTCHA | By Jarius Bondoc | 1 day ago The arrest of 72-year-old journalist Philip Lustre last Saturday for cyberlibel violated his civil rights and legal processes: Opinion EDITORIAL — Budget accountability 2 days ago As the Senate continued deliberations on the proposed national budget for 2027, watchdogs upped their tally of insertions and discretionary funds prone to political patronage in the version of the outlay passed by... Opinion Congested By FIRST PERSON | By Alex Magno | 2 days ago It is bad enough that the congressmen have cut funds from public health and moved them to their pet projects – or that PhilHealth funds were taken away by mere administrative order. Opinion Recommended Prosecution to defense: Don’t delay impeach trial October 29, 2026 - 12:00am Lawyers of Vice President Sara Duterte should not engage in delaying tactics in presenting her defense before the Senate impeachment court, nor should they employ any filibuster methods to drag the case even fu...r OpinionSARASARA DUTERTE Aplasca files reply to direct assault rap October 29, 2026 - 12:00am Former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca has filed his counter-affidavit on the direct assault complaint filed against him over the May 13 Senate shooting. OpinionAPLASCAMAO Marcos: Don't panic over peso fall to P64 per dollar October 28, 2026 - 3:32pm President Marcos Jr. says rising oil prices are weighing on the currency and economy. OpinionBONGBONG MARCOSCURRENCYFOREX Premature to talk about VP replacement – Palace October 28, 2026 - 12:00am It’s premature to talk about a possible replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte while her impeachment trial is ongoing, Malacañang said yesterday. OpinionSARA DUTERTE JV open to inviting budget watchdogs to bicam hearings October 28, 2026 - 12:00am Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito is open to inviting civil society organizations to the bicameral conference committee hearings on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, after the...r OpinionLACSONSENATE next Recommended Prosecution to defense: Don’t delay impeach trial Lawyers of Vice President Sara Duterte should not engage in delaying tactics in presenting her defense before the Senate impeachment court, nor should they employ any filibuster methods to drag the case even further. 5 hours ago SARA SARA DUTERTE Aplasca files reply to direct assault rap Former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca has filed his counter-affidavit on the direct assault complaint filed against him over the May 13 Senate shooting. 5 hours ago APLASCA MAO Marcos: Don't panic over peso fall to P64 per dollar President Marcos Jr. says rising oil prices are weighing on the currency and economy. 14 hours ago BONGBONG MARCOS CURRENCY FOREX Premature to talk about VP replacement – Palace It’s premature to talk about a possible replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte while her impeachment trial is ongoing, Malacañang said yesterday. 1 day ago SARA DUTERTE JV open to inviting budget watchdogs to bicam hearings Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito is open to inviting civil society organizations to the bicameral conference committee hearings on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, after the groups flagged up to P1 trillion in potential pork barrel funds in the House of Representatives’ version of the spending bill. 1 day ago LACSON SENATE OK Are you sure you want to log out? Yes No X Login Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Sign up now!
