The national budget is a financial plan of government or the translation of government’s programs in monetary terms. The annual budget contains the expenditures program which enumerates the different expenditure items and the respective amounts intended to be spent for each. These expenditures are supposed to achieve public purposes and be consistent with development objectives. The expenditure program, however, is just one dimension of the budget. Public expenditures are prepared and implemented with due consideration to the financial resources available to government to fund its expenditures. Thus, revenue and financing (borrowing) programs are drawn-up, along with the expenditure program, and form part of the budget.

Without commenting on who is charging what about whom in the AFP right now, it is not difficult to see how pabaon (send-off money) scandals can so easily happen. Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and politicians talk incessantly about slush funds - and they seem to feature in every high level case of alleged corruption: But as yet, we don’t seem to link the ubiquitous slush funds with the ubiquitous and hugely discretionary contingency and special purpose funds (and dare we say it again, the PDAF/Pork Barrel Allocations) which are written into national budgets and approved by legislative committees year after year.

The 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference held in Thailand last week was interesting for several reasons. Firstly, it was the first such international gathering of corruption experts we had ever attended. Secondly, it was truly international with more than 1000 delegates from more than 100 countries and a multitude of sessions. Thirdly it took a comprehensive and inclusive approach covering everything from state capture and corruption through to corruption and climate change. Fourthly it was extremely useful to listen to and learn about what other people and organizations are doing around the world - and fifthly it was interesting to put what we were doing alongside others around the world.

SEN. NINOY AQUINO, Sultan Kudarat — It is in places such as these that the role good quality roads play in helping to improve people’s livelihoods is so easily understood.

Norman Lucero, 47, is the driver of a Mitsubishi commuter van which ploughs the 85-kilometer route between Isulan and Kulaman (recently renamed Senator Ninoy Aquino) in Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. It would be wrong to call this a road since it remains far from completed and is the reason Norman can only charge his passengers PhP 150 (USD 3) for the one way trip that can take up to four or even five hours.