Senate Bill 2186 or the People's Participation in Budget Deliberations Act is a very welcome move in the fight against corruption and graft and the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project was lucky enough to see it first a few weeks ago and be tapped for our own opinions on it.

In his younger days as a student in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, Al-Ghosaibi Jutli saw the huge potential seaweed farming held for local communities if only it was properly organized and exploited. Seaweed is used to produce everything from bread, beer, soap and toothpaste through to crucial fertilizers, vitamins and medicine.

Now working as a counselor in a Sharia court in Zamboanga del Norte, Jutli laments that the Sulu seaweed industry will remain an untapped dream and living conditions back home will never improve as a result.

He says the one-time big-time humanitarian and livelihood missions of civic organizations there are greatly appreciated and helpful, but admits their effects are not expected to last in the long run.

The nation has witnessed many controversies over public funds purportedly amassed by government officials over the past few years.  Congressional and Senate investigations are held, Blue Ribbon Committee Hearings convened and much publicity is generated --and temporary media feeding frenzy ensured.

Yet at the end of the day, such investigations are non-judicial in nature and resolve little. Impeachment cases aside where Congress sits as a court, most investigations and hearings can only aid or inform possible future legislation. While they may provide a venue for a public venting of frustration, they ultimately serve only to leave the general public wondering what the ultimate purpose and lasting effect was.