Malacañang: Nothing wrong with budget insertions as long as used properly

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Malacañang on Tuesday said that budget “insertions” only become problematic if they go into politicians' pockets, after a watchdog found that Ilocos Norte 1st district had the highest insertions for public works projects in the proposed House General Appropriations Bill (GAB), amounting to P4.37 billion.

The district is represented by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.

“Kung ang mga proyekto naman ng isang congressman ay maayos at ang pondong ilalaan dito ay magagamit nang tama, sino ba naman ang dapat na humadlang kung ang pondong ito ay sasapat naman para mapaganda ang isang distrito?” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing in Cagayan de Oro City when asked to comment on the People's Budget Coalition's report.

(If a congressman’s projects are justifiable and the allocated funds for such would be properly used to improve the district, then why should we stand in the way?)

“Mahirap po kasi na kumukuha ng pondo, ‘yun pala hindi naman nagagamit sa distrito,” she added.

(What’s problematic is when funds are given only for them not to be used for the district.)

The Palace official said she is not specifically referring to the younger Marcos, but all congressmen in general.

She stressed that there are no problems with such insertions as long as they are used for the welfare of the constituents.

“Kahit sino pang congressman 'yan, kung ang pondo na nailaan sa kanyang distrito ay tama ang paggamit---walang ghost projects, walang substandard na mga materials na ginamit sa mga proyekto---hindi po ito po magkakaroon ng problema,” Castro said.

(Regardless of who the congressman is, as long as the funds allocated to their district are used properly—with no ghost projects and no substandard materials—there shouldn’t be any problem.)

“Dahil ang insertion ay hindi po ito generally masama. Nagiging masama lang ang insertion kung ang pera ay i-insert sa bulsa ng pulitiko. ‘Yun ang masama,” she added.

(An insertion is not inherently bad. It only becomes problematic when the funds are inserted into a politician’s own pocket. That is what’s wrong.)

The People's Budget Coalition (PBC) earlier said it found "red flags" amounting to over P1 trillion in allocations in the proposed P7.2 trillion national budget for fiscal year 2027.

These reportedly covered various types of “pork” or discretionary funds under the House-approved GAB

“Lampas P1 trilyong red flags ang nakita namin sa 2027 budget—P210 billion sa soft pork sa anyo ng patronage-driven ayuda, P695 billion sa hard pork, which is politicized infrastructure, and P112 billion po sa shadow pork o ‘yung unprogrammed appropriations,” PBC co-convenor AJ Montesa said in a budget briefing at the Senate on Monday.

(We identified over P1 trillion worth of ‘red flags’ under the 2027 budget—P210 billion of which was ‘soft pork’ in the form of patronage-driven financial assistance; P695 billion in ‘hard pork,’ which consists of politicized infrastructure projects; and P112 billion in ‘shadow pork,’ or unprogrammed appropriations.)

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, in response, said that Congress could make adjustments in the proposed budget with a valid basis. Regardless, he said the Senate would assess if such amendments made by the House were necessary. — BM, GMA News

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