MANILA, Philippines—The MAKABAYAN bloc voted against the proposed 2027 national budget on third and final reading on Oct. 12, denouncing it as a “budget of robbery and betrayal” over alleged pork barrel allocations and cuts to essential public services.
In a joint statement, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co said their opposition stemmed from a corrupt, patronage-driven, and anti-people budget framework.
MAKABAYAN cited their analysis of amendments adopted through the House Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSC), which they claimed showed a ?116.32 billion realignment of funds.
Of that amount, ?100.44 billion, or 86.4% of the additions, reportedly went to pork barrel-type allocations for discretionary distribution by legislators.
According to the bloc’s analysis, the cuts come at the expense of essential public services, including education, health care, disaster preparedness, agriculture and government employees’ retirement benefits.
The Department of Health sustained a net cut of ?16.14 billion, while the Department of Education’s budget was reduced by ?6.17 billion compared with the National Expenditure Program.
Additional reductions include:
- 9.5 billion pesos from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund
- 3.29 billion pesos from the Department of Agriculture
- 5.28 billion pesos from the National Irrigation Administration
- 10 billion pesos from the Pension and Gratuity Fund, which could affect government employees’ terminal leave and retirement gratuity benefits
The lawmakers criticized the budget amendment process, alleging that BARSC failed to issue and publish the required detailed report of amendments, forcing legislators to conduct their own analysis to determine how funds were realigned.
Tinio also criticized the proposed budget for prioritizing politicians’ discretionary allocations, political dynasties and foreign interests over the needs of ordinary Filipinos.
“The debt being paid by ordinary Filipinos continues to balloon to fund politicians’ pork barrel allocations and political dynasties, fascism, and foreign interests, particularly the Pax Silica initiative of the United States and Israel,” Tinio said.
Tinio described the budget as an instrument of privatization, deregulation and debt-driven pork barrel spending. He called for stable jobs, regular employment and living wages for workers.
As the proposed measure moves to the Senate and eventually the bicameral conference committee, the bloc called for removal of pork barrel and patronage-driven allocations and restoration of budget cuts affecting public services and government workers.
“The national budget must be based on public need, not on the ability of politicians to control funds and distribute favors for electoral objectives,” the lawmakers said. (davaotoday.com)
