Congressional insertions remain a concern as lawmakers scrutinize the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, with teachers also warning that education allocations fall short of addressing persistent shortages.

ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio said Sunday that the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) proposed P643.95-billion budget could still change substantially before Congress approves the General Appropriations Act.

He said congressional insertions had contributed to delays in DPWH projects because added projects were often tagged for later release.

“In short, there will be congressional — well, the usual term for that is insertions, and amendments. So, expect that there would be big changes in the GAB,” Tinio said.

DPWH reported that only 7,467 of the 17,764 projects funded under the 2026 budget had been awarded, worth P146.41 billion of the P459.89-billion allocation. It cited delayed release of allotment orders, the inability to conduct early procurement and stricter documentation requirements.

Tinio called the system a bottleneck, saying projects inserted into the budget could take at least two years to complete.

Bottleneck

“The pork barrel system is the major bottleneck to economic development and delivery of basic services,” he said.

Flood mitigation projects, excluded from the 2026 budget, have also returned under the proposed 2027 spending plan, with P107 billion allocated.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers said the proposed P1.326 trillion for basic and higher education, equivalent to 3.99 percent of GDP, was inadequate.

ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said the allocation failed to match the country’s shortages in classrooms, teachers and learning materials.

The group noted that only 700 classrooms are targeted for construction despite a classroom backlog exceeding 165,000, based on EDCOM II data.

ACT also criticized the proposed P30.5 billion for basic education facilities, down from P85.4 billion in 2026, and lower funding for textbooks and instructional materials.

Bernardo said proposed increases in personnel and career-progression funding would likewise be insufficient to address staffing and promotion problems.