MANILA — The House Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee has recommended amendments to the proposed 2027 national budget totaling P116.32 billion, according to House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Mikaela Suansing.
These include proposed funding for programs that received zero allocation under the 2027 National Expenditure Program like the Department of Education’s school safety and security program, the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program, the Department of Transportation’s fuel subsidy program, the service contracting program and the NCR busway project, and the Department of Agriculture’s Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk.
The House subpanel also recommended increases in the proposed 2027 budget for social services like the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations, the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients, and the TUPAD program.
When asked which allocations in the 2027 NEP would be realigned for the BARSc’s proposed amendments, Suansing said they are looking at programs with 'idle' funds.
She added that it would be part of the substitute bill for the 2027 House General Appropriations Bill, which would be up for House plenary consideration next week.
“Marami kaming na-identify as of now na may mga programang mayroon na silang nalaan na pondo since 2024… na hindi po talaga nila nagagamit. Some of them adding up to billions of pesos… Instead of these funds lying idle in those programs, kukunin natin iyon ngayon at ililipat sa mga programa na talagang pinaka kinakailangan,” Suansing said.
“Ang dami nating nakikitang infrastructure projects sa ibang mga ahensya na nag-aacrue lang ang pondo nila after several years na hindi nauutilize. Hindi lang infrastructure projects. Pati ‘yung procurement ng iba’t ibang mga ahensya,” she added.
Of BARSc’s proposed P116.32 billion proposed amendments, the People’s Budget Coalition flagged P98.86 billion.
These include the proposed P10 billion allocation for the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk, P28.3 billion additional funding for the MAIFIP, P25.8 billion fund augmentation for the AICS, and P5 billion budget increase for the TUPAD or cash-for-work program. PBC cautioned against “ayuda programs that run on politician referrals.”
But Suansing said the implementation of these programs was not “discretionary.”
“Hindi siya discretionary. Talagang based on a masterlist,” she explained.
The PBC also flagged the BARSc’s proposed additional funding for the Local Government Support Fund (P4.09 billion), which it called “local pork”, the House of Representatives (P5 billion), and the confidential funds to NAPOLCOM (P10 million), DOJ Osec (P30 million), the National Bureau of Investigation (P50 million), and the Office of the Ombudsman (P50 million).
“Categorically, wala pong pork sa 2027 budget… Mayroon na rin pong jurisprudence on the matter that says LGSF is not pork,” Suansing said.
“Even with that increase, this is by far the lowest budget for the House of Representatives in a long time. In the previous years nagre-range sa P27 billion to P30 billion ‘yung House budget. But this year, even with the P5 billion addition yesterday, the total is only at P23 billion for the House,” she added.