Senator Erwin Tulfo on Thursday strongly defended the 2026 national budget after fellow lawmaker Imee Marcos criticized the spending plan as containing “giniling,” a term she used to describe what she claimed were soft or ground-up pork barrel funds that could still be used for political patronage.

At a Kapehan sa Senado session on 8 January, Tulfo pushed back against Marcos’ remarks, stressing that the bicameral budget deliberations were publicly livestreamed and that there was no hidden process where questionable funds could be quietly inserted.

"I don't know kung saan nakuha ni Senator Imee yung idea na yun," Tulfo said, underscoring that transparency was observed throughout the discussions.

Marcos had earlier rejected the House-Senate ratified version of the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA), questioning increases in funding for several assistance programs that critics have labeled as soft pork.

These include Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), TUPAD, farm-to-market roads, and other social aid funds.

Marcos and other critics argue that these allocations—especially following significant cuts to foreign-assisted infrastructure projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway and the Metro Manila Subway—risk being used as political incentives rather than genuine social welfare support, and could be leveraged to advance Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment.

Tulfo countered that the increases, particularly for AICS, were a response to the growing frequency of typhoons and natural disasters that struck the country over the past year, driving demand for rapid cash assistance and emergency support for families in distress.

He also emphasized that health and education remain priority sectors in the 2026 budget, rejecting claims that resources were being misdirected.

On the broader issue of programmed and unprogrammed funds, Tulfo said he supports efforts to phase out discretionary allocations that lawmakers can directly influence, echoing public concerns that such funds could become breeding grounds for corruption.

“Mas maganda kung wala na ‘yung mga programmed, unprogrammed na yan,” he said, aligning with calls to streamline the national budget.