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MANILA, Philippines — A reenacted budget in the first week of January or in the first quarter of next year would be better than a rushed one “that is not responsive to the call of the times,” Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said, as he cited the need to better scrutinize the proposed P6.793-trillion appropriations for 2026.
He said the executive should be given more time to study the Congress-approved outlay in light of a series of controversies traced to the irregular practice of “budget insertions” for politicians’ pet projects, which has led to corruption – specifically the flood control scandal.
Lacson said examining the national budget more closely has become urgent “amid the yet unresolved investigations on the misuse and abuse of the current and previous expenditure programs, particularly involving flood control projects.”
Lacson made the statement after Executive Secretary Ralph Recto announced that President Marcos would study the budget first before signing it possibly between Jan. 1 and 7.
Lacson said the delays in the budget process timeline were justified after the Senate and the House struggled in reconciling contentious provisions, such as increasing perceived “pork barrel” items like the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), and funding the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Farm-To-Market (FMR) roads.
A week-long reenacted budget is “the right thing to do when the bicameral conference committee could not agree on certain items, mostly on increasing the funding for FMR’s as well as ‘ayudas’ like MAIFIP and AICS, which in my view are open to abuse by politicians,” Lacson said.
He said that while the House pushed for funding controversial items, the Senate proposed general and special provisions in the budget to prevent misuse of funds, such as prohibiting politicians from distributing financial assistance like MAIFIP and AICS.
“Realizing that the House panel was standing firm on these contentious issues, the Senate in caucus, decided to put in place several general and special provisions to serve as safety nets and safeguards at least in the execution of the 2026 budget measure,” Lacson said.
‘Far from perfect’
Lacson, who previously said he might not sign the bicam report, admitted the budget program was “far from perfect insofar as proper utilization of public funds is concerned.”
“Having said that, we cannot be in a perfect and ideal world when we entrust government funds to politicians of different persuasions and attitudes,” he said.
“There are still many of us in Congress who are willing to listen to the public clamor of stamping out corruption in government,” he said.
“The key is not letting our guard down in monitoring and reporting, even shaming shenanigans in the public sector and their co-conspirators outside of government,” Lacson said.
A reenacted budget means that government, in order to prevent a shutdown, will have to operate on the previous year’s outlay – in this case, the 2025 General Appropriations Act, criticized by many as a corrupt budget.
After the bicameral conference committee concluded in the wee hours of Dec. 18, Congress set the ratification of the budget bill on Dec. 29.
After its ratification, the General Appropriations Bill would be immediately transmitted to the President for further scrutiny of items subject to his veto powers. Senate President Vicente Sotto III vowed no “blind ratification” of the budget, copies of which would be given to all senators for their scrutiny.
It remains to be seen if President Marcos will sign the budget containing the controversial fund increases or veto the items.
For Vice President Sara Duterte, it would be against the law if Marcos opts to sign the budget after Dec. 31.
“Yes, (it is prohibited) by the law. It should be signed before Dec. 31. Otherwise, it will be reenacted by January,” Duterte said in an interview in Davao City.
The national budget was reenacted several times when her ally, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was president.
‘Digital agriculture’
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, lauded the increase in the proposed funding for the DA’s “digital agriculture” to P600 million from P500 million. The program is designed to help prevent corruption and funds misuse.
According to Pangilinan, DA’s digital agriculture aims to use data, online platforms, and smart technologies to support systems for farmer and fisher registries, traceability, monitoring, and data-driven planning.
“No stealing happens when the public is watching. Digital makes it difficult to hide the truth, effectively protecting all of us who pay taxes,” said Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate food, agriculture, and agrarian reform committee.
“This technology can ensure that subsidies, insurance, and other support go to real farmers and fisherfolk, not ghost beneficiaries,” he said.
He also welcomed the funding for DA digital tools in planning, procurement, extension, market access and enforcement, that could help prevent another flood control corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Pangilinan also welcomed the inclusion of a P1 billion budget in the DA’s 2026 outlay for biosecurity enforcement program, which aims to prevent smuggling and contain animal diseases.
He said the P1-billion budget for the Bio-Safe program is important “to strengthen disease surveillance, border controls, and on-ground enforcement against threats such as African swine fever and avian influenza.”
Animal disease outbreaks need to be contained to prevent a spike in prices and protect the livestock industry, he noted.
The DA’s Bio-Safe program includes biosafety, biosecurity and surveillance (BSS&S) measures for protecting all forms of agriculture, such as crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries.
Pangilinan cited past food emergencies, as lessons learned that delayed response results in costlier damage.
He said ASF wiped out an estimated five million pigs, caused P200 billion in losses, and slashed the national hog inventory by more than 20 percent.
This drove pork inflation to around 20 percent in 2021 and kept retail prices high and volatile in the following years.
Avian influenza outbreaks have also strained food security and adversely affected livelihoods, Pangilinan said. – Bella Cariaso
