The deadlock exposed the bicam not as a venue for reconciliation but as a bargaining table over pork.
By Dulce Amor Rodriguez
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) rejected the proposed 2026 national budget, saying the bicameral conference committee approved what it called a “re-enacted pork barrel budget” that entrenches patronage politics despite widespread public outrage over corruption.
In statements released from Dec. 13 to Dec. 19, Bayan said that the reconciled General Appropriations Bill preserves and expands pork barrel–type allocations through infrastructure projects, social assistance programs, confidential funds, and unprogrammed appropriations.
DPWH as pork barrel centerpiece
Bayan said that the Department of Public Works and Highways remains the centerpiece of the pork barrel system after the bicam approved a P529.6-billion ($9.5-billion) budget for the agency.
While lower than this year’s allocation, the group said that the amount retains lawmakers’ “allocables” and insertions that have long been linked to kickbacks, advance payments, and politically dictated infrastructure projects, particularly flood control ones.
Previous investigations and congressional testimonies, Bayan said, already exposed how infrastructure budgets serve as major sources of so-called standard operating procedures (SOPs) or kickbacks for legislators and contractors.
Expanded patronage
Bayan flagged sharp increases in social assistance programs that it said function as de facto pork barrels.
The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation rose to P63.9 billion ($1.1 billion) while the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients program increased to P51 billion ($910 million). Bayan said that both programs remain heavily mediated by politicians and are vulnerable to patronage politics.
Congress allocated P2 billion ($36 million) to the Tulong Dunong program. Bayan said that the fund is coursed through legislators’ offices and used to cultivate political loyalty rather than build a coherent education support system.
Local, counterinsurgency allocations
Local patronage funds also increased, including the P38.1-billion ($680 million) Local Government Support Fund.
Bayan criticized the P8-billion ($143 million) Barangay Development Program under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, citing its politicized implementation, lack of transparency, and links to counterinsurgency and human rights violations.
Confidential, unprogrammed funds retained
Bayan condemned the retention of more than P11 billion ($196 million) in confidential and intelligence funds, including in civilian agencies where such allocations are unnecessary and shielded from public scrutiny.
More alarming, the group said, is the P243-billion ($4.3-billion) unprogrammed appropriations, which allow the President to spend outside the regular budget process. Bayan described these funds as opaque and prone to political manipulation.
Bicam deadlock
Bayan linked reported delays in bicameral proceedings to disputes between the House of Representatives and the Senate over pork barrel allocations, particularly the proposed P54-billion cut in the Public Works budget.
The group said that the House and the executive branch resisted the reduction because a lower infrastructure budget would mean fewer discretionary projects and reduced kickbacks.
According to Bayan, the deadlock exposed the bicam not as a venue for reconciliation but as a bargaining table over pork.
Calls for transparency, protest
Bayan criticized what it called the Marcos Jr. administration’s duplicity, saying that the 2026 budget contradicts official claims of fighting corruption. It also belittled plans to livestream bicam sessions, noting that lawmakers can easily shift to closed-door executive meetings.
The group demanded the immediate disclosure of all budget insertions, amendments, and allocables per district and per lawmaker.
As the budget nears signing, Bayan called on the public to reject the 2026 spending plan and sustain protests demanding transparency and accountability. During press briefings, protesters chanted calls to scrap unprogrammed appropriations, confidential funds, and pork barrel allocations.“The budget should serve the people, not political dynasties and vested interests,” Bayan said, warning that approving the 2026 budget in its current form would deepen public outrage and erode trust in government. (DAA)
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