MANILA — Sustained public anger and vigilance are the key to removing more than P1 trillion worth of patronage-driven assistance programs, politicized infrastructure items and standby funds from the House-approved 2027 national budget, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr. said on Wednesday.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Lacson called out proponents of the questionable budget insertions for "testing the limits of the people's patience."

"I would like to think they are wrong this time… Thanks to the People's Budget Coalition (PBC) and all like-minded individuals standing together for accountability," he said.

Coalition flags P1 trillion in insertions

The PBC flagged undocumented budget insertions of P210 billion in "soft pork," or patronage-driven aid; P695 billion in "hard pork," or politicized infrastructure; and P122 billion in "shadow pork," or unprogrammed appropriations. Combined, the flagged items exceed P1 trillion.

In Philippine budgeting, unprogrammed appropriations are standby expenditures that can be funded only if revenue collections exceed targets or when new financing is secured.

The coalition's findings were presented during the Senate Committee on Finance's dedicated hearing day for civil society organizations and budget watchdogs, as the proposed spending plan undergoes Senate scrutiny after passing the House of Representatives. Under the process, the remaining milestones — Senate passage and the bicameral conference committee that reconciles the two chambers' versions — are the stages where flagged insertions can be retained, revised or dropped before the final measure is ratified and signed into law.

Transparency calls

Mr. Lacson reiterated his calls for additional transparency measures in the budget process, including livestreams of proceedings even during breaks, as well as of the bicameral conference committee (bicam) sessions that reconcile the House and Senate versions of the budget.

Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, previously announced that the bicam will be open to civil society and budget watchdogs. That announced openness would place the same watchdogs whose findings framed the hearing inside the stage where the final text of the spending measure is settled.

Background

Budget insertions, often described as "pork," have long been contentious in Philippine fiscal policy. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) following a multibillion-peso scandal, ruling that legislators could not intervene in budget implementation after enactment.

Under the Philippine Constitution, the annual national budget originates in the House of Representatives. After both chambers pass their versions, a bicameral conference committee reconciles the two texts, and the final measure must be ratified by both the House and the Senate before it is signed into law by the president.

— Francessca S. Abalos

This report was first published by BusinessWorld Online: Public anger, vigilance key to removing 2027 budget insertions