Tinio slams Malacañang ‘LGU pork’ initiative

ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio on Tuesday slammed the Malacañang launch of the “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” initiative, calling it a massive patronage scheme designed to buy the loyalty of local government officials and distract the public from the President’s central role in the multi-billion flood control corruption scandal.

Prominent local chief executives gathered during the program—including those from the traditional opposition—is a clear attempt by the Marcos administration to consolidate its political machinery ahead of the 2028 elections using billions in “LGU pork” funded by the suffering of government workers.

“Huwag tayong palilinlang sa pakitang-taong pagkakaisa at mga kulay-rosas na medyas. Ang programang ito ay hindi para sa serbisyo, kundi para sa panunuhol at konsolidasyon ng kapangyarihan,” Tinio said. “This is bureaucrat capitalism at its finest—using the people’s money to build a political fortress for 2028 while the architect of the flood control plunder remains at the helm.”

Tinio recalled that during the 2026 budget deliberations in December 2025, the Makabayan bloc exposed and fought the diversion of ₱17.9 billion from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF)—which should have gone to the benefits of teachers and health workers—to highly discretionary LGU slush funds.

In the 2026 General Appropriations Act, under the Special Purpose Fund known as the Local Government Support Fund, Php 37.5 billion has been allocated to Financial Assistance to Local Government Units and Php 11.3 billion to the Growth Equity Fund, for a total of Php 48.8 billion in “LGU pork.”

Tinio emphasized that unlike the constitutionally mandated National Tax Allotment (NTA), the LGSF is entirely discretionary and controlled by the President through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The DBM Local Budget Circular Nos. 167 and 169 stated that all LGSF releases require presidential approval through the DBM, with funding decisions based on a "scorecard" system that effectively allows Malacañang to reward political allies and punish critics.

"This is pure pork barrel—₱48 billion in funds that can be used for everything from infrastructure projects to direct ayuda for medical, funeral, transportation, food, and educational assistance," Tinio pointed out. "The DBM circulars make it clear: LGUs must apply through the 'Ugnayang Bayan Portal,' and the President, through the DBM, decides who gets funded and who doesn't."

The lawmaker noted that the fund's eligible projects include the same types of infrastructure—local roads, bridges, multi-purpose buildings, hospital facilities—that were at the heart of corruption in DPWH, creating new opportunities for kickbacks and overpricing.

“Ginigipit ang mga guro at kawani, pinagkakaitan ng dapat na sahod at benepisyo, para lamang may panggastos si Marcos Jr. sa pagpapatibay ng kanyang alyansa sa mga politiko mula sa mga siyudad, probinsya, hanggang barangay. It is the height of irony that while the administration claims to empower LGUs, it does so by robbing the frontliners of the bureaucracy,” Tinio added.

The veteran activist lawmaker further pointed out that the sudden push for a “reform agenda,” including the anti-dynasty and FOI bills, alongside the wooing of “Pink” supporters and former VP Leni Robredo, is a calculated maneuver to isolate the Duterte faction while shielding Marcos Jr. from accountability for the flood control scam.