Lawmaker flags P180-B pork in 2027 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives inserted 6,212 new infrastructure projects worth about P180 billion into its version of the proposed 2027 national budget, raising fresh concerns that public works funds are being used to reward political allies and punish districts outside the leadership’s circle.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said on Sunday that his office’s review of the P7.2-trillion spending bill found that the new projects had raised the number of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) line items to 16,720.

“This shows that the pork barrel system as a carrot-and-stick is very much alive and kicking,” Tinio, a deputy minority leader, said in a statement.

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“The allocation depends on how close or far one is to the kitchen, and whether or not one follows the marching orders of Malacañang and the majority,” he added.

The House on Wednesday night approved, on second reading, House Bill No. 10858 on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 through a voice vote. Third and final reading approval is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 12, after which it will be transmitted to the Senate for review, with both chambers later reconciling their versions before the bill is sent to President Marcos for signing.

‘Favored’ districts

Tinio’s review found that the Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office (DEO), which serves the congressional district of House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, received the biggest net increase among 198 engineering offices, at P4.38 billion.

READ: Calls mount for return of watchdogs to House budget talks

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It was followed by Davao de Oro’s 1st DEO, with P1.68 billion; Misamis Occidental’s 2nd DEO, P1.65 billion; South Cotabato’s 2nd DEO, P1.58 billion; and Isabela’s 4th DEO, P1.52 billion. The South Cotabato office serves two congressional districts, including that of Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez, while Isabela’s 4th DEO covers two districts, including that of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.

Bohol’s 1st DEO ranked sixth, with an additional P1.34 billion, followed by Batangas’ 2nd DEO (P1.19 billion), Batangas’ 3rd DEO (P1.15 billion), Isabela’s 1st DEO (P1.08 billion) and Nueva Ecija’s 1st DEO (P1.07 billion). The last covers two districts, including that of House appropriations committee chair Mikaela Angela Suansing.

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The findings echoed a separate review by the People’s Budget coalition, which found that public works funding appeared to have shifted from the DPWH central office to district engineering offices.

The central office lost P42 billion, while 158 DEOs gained a combined P54 billion, according to the watchdog’s analysis. The biggest local offices collectively received an additional P24.9 billion, while middle-ranking offices gained an average of P151 million.

Others as little as P40M

At the other end of the scale, the 10 lowest-funded engineering offices received less than P150 million each, according to Tinio’s data.

“The gap between the favored and the forsaken districts is widest at the extremes,” he said.

Davao City’s engineering offices were allotted about P40 million each, placing them among the lowest-funded offices.

“Two of the five smallest are in Davao City, the Vice President’s own city, while the office covering the President’s own province took the single largest increase in the country,” Tinio said, referring to Vice President Sara Duterte and the Ilocos Norte allocation.

Other low-funded offices included Southern Leyte’s 2nd DEO, with P50 million; Agusan del Sur’s 1st DEO, P60 million; Isabela City, P70 million; and Southern Leyte’s 1st DEO, P90 million.

Ilocos Sur’s 1st DEO, Bukidnon’s 3rd DEO and Leyte’s 1st DEO received P100 million each, while Agusan del Norte’s office was allotted P130 million.

‘Examine who benefits’

Ederson Tapia, a public administration professor at the University of Makati, cautioned that budget realignments do not automatically mean corruption.

Congress has the power to revise spending items, he said, but such changes can open the door to political patronage when allocations are discretionary, poorly justified or directed toward projects where politicians can influence beneficiaries.

“The important distinction is between the legality of a realignment and the integrity of the process behind it,” Tapia said in a text message.

“We should examine who benefits, how the allocations were determined, and whether safeguards for transparency and accountability are in place,” he added.

Tapia said the public should be given clear explanations for the changes.

Tinio called on House leaders to publish the complete list of the 6,212 new projects, including their locations and, where known, their proponents.

“The people have a right to know whose districts were fattened, and at whose expense,” Tinio said.

“The question is not simply whether Congress can change the budget, but whether those changes genuinely serve public needs rather than political interests,” Tapia said.

Think tank Ibon Foundation earlier criticized the Marcos administration’s proposed P7.2-trillion budget as an “austerity budget for Filipinos” marked by mispriorities, pork-barrel patronage, and an overemphasis on physical infrastructure at the expense of genuine social and human development.

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“Social services will become even more underfunded, yet debt service will keep rising while billions [of pesos] will keep going to pork barrel spending and to traditional politician’s 2028 electoral war chests,” it said. INQ