Assurances of reforms in Congress’ bicameral conference committee (Bicam) hearings are going down the drain, with pork barrel items still present in the proposed 2026 national budget, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said.
Ppork barrel won in the first round of Bicam deliberations last Saturday, December 13, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City at the expense of transparency, accountability, the group said.
“Instead of heeding widespread calls to cut or substantially reduce pork and patronage programs, the Bicam expanded funding for two of the most notorious channels of political pork: farm-to-market roads and the medical assistance program under the Department of Health,” BAYAN said.
In the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government to Congress, funding for farm-to-market roads was initially at ₱16 billion that ballooned to ₱32.6 billion in the House-approved General Appropriations Bill, BAYAN pointed out.
“Disturbingly, the Bicam did not reverse this excess but further raised the allocation to ₱33 billion, entrenching a program long plagued by allegations of overpricing, substandard implementation, and politically dictated project lists,” the group said.
BAYAN added it was apparent that the Senators were clueless about where the additional funding would go, with some hypocritically expressing reservations but agreeing to the scheme nonetheless.
The group also described as ominous the effort by a member of the House contingent to have the agriculture department to revise its road masterplan to accommodate new areas for implementation.
Equally alarming is the increase of allocations to DOH’s controversial health aid program that Saturday’s Bicam conference increased to P51 billion that shall further entrench the patronage system in healthcare, it added.
“These increases expose the hollowness of official rhetoric about budget reform. While ordinary Filipinos endure rising prices, inadequate public services, and repeated disasters, lawmakers continue to fatten discretionary funds that are routinely used for political favors, electoral advantage, and rent-seeking,” BAYAN said.
Meanwhile, the start of the deliberation last Sunday was delayed by an hour as Senate representatives raised several concerns on previously discussed items.
Sunday’s session was devoted mostly to the proposed Department of Public Works and Highways, the agency at the center of the corruption scandal rocking the Marcos Jr. government.
The Bicam deliberations of on the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget resumes today.
Malacanang Palace said President Marcos hopes to sign next year’s budget into law before Christmas day. # (Raymund B.Villanueva)
