Parties raise alarm over P633 billion corruption in bicam-approved 2026 budget
Multi-agency groups on Monday raised their recommendations on the P6.793 billion national budget approved by the bicameral for 2026, following their concerns about projects worth P633 billion that are vulnerable to corruption and subsidization.
“We recommend that the President take action on more than R633 billion projects that are at risk of corruption and funding in the two budget system,” said the Roundtable for Inclusive Development (RFID) and the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) in a joint statement.
Both parties of Congress separately adopted the bicameral conference committee’s report on the proposed 2026 budget on Monday.
The first recommendation filed by the groups highlights the blocking of unplanned funds, also known as the “shadow pig,” worth P243 billion, in addition to eliminating the P43 billion SAGIP program, which was allegedly used to subsidize flood control projects.
The groups define the shadow hog as funds that “live outside the general budget framework” and are often used over the years for “risky” infrastructure projects due to their little transparency or legal scrutiny when released.
“The special provisions regarding random allocation violated certain provisions in the PDAF decision of the Supreme Court,” the civil society groups said.
“The constitutionality of the discretionary budget is problematic, as Congress unlawfully increases the budget set by the President, which is required under the Constitution; and violates the separation of powers and the non-delegation of powers of the fund,” they added.
The groups also advocated for the conversion of P210 billion worth of donor-driven aid or ayuda into “rights-based and rule-based programs”, in consultation with allied health experts and civil protection experts, and P11 billion worth of secret and intelligence funds (CIF).
According to these groups, the soft pork made up of aid programs is vulnerable to political support because it leads citizens to “beg” politicians for help.
“Politicians must be removed from the system of appointing beneficiaries, which is prevalent under the system of books that confirm brutality and are unconstitutional that encourage the intervention of members of the legislature in the budget after passing the law,” they said.
“We are alarmed that the bicameral congressional committee has almost tripled the pork tender to P210 billion compared to the President’s proposed budget,” he added.
The last recommendation mentioned involves the placement of the P600 billion infrastructure project under a government-sponsored multi-sectoral citizen monitoring program or international funded private research programs.
The 2025 national budget has faced a lot of public scrutiny after the multi-budget budget and the inclusion of the conference, which created many rallies across the country for transparency and accountability.
“As citizens, we are still committed to working with you to monitor the budget plan so that all taxpayers’ money benefits our nation,” they said. “Buwis natin ito, budget natin it [This is our taxes, this is our budget].”— Almira Louise S. Martinez
