The devil in the details: MindaNews breaks down the budget document to expose unjustified allocations

CHEERS TO MindaNews for its in-depth reporting on Davao City’s continued prioritization of peace and order in its 2025 budget—a piece that offered both critical context and transparency in local governance. Published on May 7, 2025, the piece stands out as a strong example of local journalism that does not flinch at questioning government priorities in spending. 

Other media outlets reported Davao City’s 2025 budget as straight news, quoting official statements, citing totals, and moving on. Carolyn O. Arguillas of MindaNews went beyond the routine budget review and broke through the surface of numbers to highlight that peace and security remain at the heart of the city’s policy agenda.

Arguillas recalled the official declaration of Davao City as “insurgency-free” in 2022. Her scrutiny of the budget three years later revealed that peace and order still claimed the largest share of the city’s PHP14 billion budget, allocating PHP2.1 billion, or 14.1% of the total budget to the Peace and Order and Public Safety Program (POPSP). 

The amount dwarfed allocations for other social programs, including PHP1.1 billion for the City Social Welfare and Development Office and PHP428 million for the City Health Office.

The article questioned the purpose of such massive allocations in a post-conflict context. Arguillas cited a PHP475 million budget line for “confidential/intelligence/extraordinary expenses” under the peace and order fund, which seems misplaced in a city no longer under an insurgency threat. As such funds are typically used for surveillance and intelligence, the report raised legitimate concerns about how such an expense can still be justified. 

Arguillas called attention to two particularly large, and vaguely defined, components: PHP789.1 million for “other general services” and PHP535 million for “donations.” By highlighting the imbalance between these allocations and the comparatively small budgets for programs such as supplementary feeding (PHP5 million) and daycare services (PHP62.9 million), the article raised important questions about the city government’s spending priorities and its accountability.

The report was enhanced with visuals, which told the story more quickly. For example, a clear pie chart showed the allocations, with nearly half going to “other general services.” 

Arguillas also recounted the difficulty of accessing the city’s 2025 budget ordinance, a process that required repeated requests and follow-ups before a copy was finally released on April 29. Such persistence in securing the paper trail is a primary requisite to investigative journalism. Media’s access to public documents ensures accountability in public office. 

Press vigilance helps to ensure integrity in public office through periods of conflict or peace. But it does call for patient and persistent work, from observing and noting patterns, securing the documents, scrutinizing its contents, and interpreting the meaning of its contents. Budget documents are more difficult to peruse, but it is necessary as the paper trail often completes the story.

Budget, a special challenge for journalists, is the tell-tale evidence that gets sidelined when journalists turn away from the numbers that tell the story.