Legislative Office a BIG Taxpayers Burden

In 2002 alone each Senator (in appreciated peso daw) received:

Monthly salary

P1,000,000.00

Term 6 years

P72,000,000.00

Despite the nation experiencing economic hardship on the average, the upkeep of legislators has risen 10% every year since 1994. In 1999 this leaped to as high as a 60 % increase in the house of congress and a whopping 72% for the senators compared to the previous years.

Campaign expenses for a seat of 6 years

P250,000,000.00

P200M/year Pork Barrel x 6 years

P1,200,000,000.00

Net income 1^st year

-38,000,000.00

Net Income 2^nd to 6^th year

P1,060,000,000.00

Total cost of maintaining 24 Senators/year

P4, 072,000,000.00

Total cost of maintaining 24 senators for 6 years

P28, 972,000,000.00

The Senate is costing our nation P28.972 BILLION in their six years just to indulge in their grandstanding probe that ends up with more questions than answer. The irony of all these is the bulk of which comes from Priority Development Assistance fund and Public Works Fund or better known as Pork Barrel. These are partial figures and we have not looked into the other perks and bonuses they received when they chair or become members of various committees and other expenses such as travel etc.

Indeed very sad and with all these Billions of public money squandered, we have reached 1 million in one year overseas workers deployed all over the world to support the politicians squandering habits while keeping the nation wallowing in poverty and misery.

We can continue to treat our electoral contest along the lines of personality contest bashing those we personally dislike or praising those we like electing the same squandering leaders costing us Billions with no concrete achievement but rising number of our compatriots deployed overseas for lack of opportunity in a mismanaged nation.

There is hope with your help together with your relatives, friends and acquaintances together WE can make a difference in collectively holding these candidates running for public office accountable for the money they will receive and have received from the public coffers. Click on to add your name or read the manifesto .

The figures above are from the article An Expensive – and Unaccountable – Legislature by Yvonne Chua, while the rest are from different newspaper materials. To be continued……………