Palace assures scrutiny of 2027 budget amid P1-T 'pork' red flags
Malacañang on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, assured the public that projects proposed by the executive branch under the 2027 national budget are backed by supporting documents, as watchdog groups and senators raised concerns over more than P1 trillion in potentially questionable allocations.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was open to concerns raised by civil society groups reviewing the proposed P7.2-trillion budget.
“Ang lahat ng nagtatanggol sa budget, kailangan kayo ng gobyerno. Kailangan makita ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon kung ano iyong inyong nakikita dahil ang Pangulo ay nakikinig,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
Her remarks followed a review by the People's Budget Coalition (PBC), which flagged P1.017 trillion in potential pork barrel allocations in the House-approved General Appropriations Bill.
The coalition identified P210 billion in so-called soft pork, or patronage-driven financial assistance; P695 billion in hard pork, consisting of infrastructure allocations it described as politicized; and P112 billion in shadow pork, or unprogrammed appropriations.
Separately, a Senate review found that the number of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects increased from 11,420 in the executive's National Expenditure Program (NEP) to 16,244 in the House-approved budget.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito said only 1,418 projects, or 8.73 percent, had physical or digital supporting documents submitted to the committee at the time of its review.
The remaining 14,826 projects, representing 91.27 percent of the total, lacked submitted documentation, prompting calls for further scrutiny.
The absence of documents submitted to the Senate does not automatically establish that the projects are irregular or that no supporting records exist.
No room for abuse
Castro maintained that the administration would not tolerate the misuse of public funds.
“Ang utos ng Pangulo, ang pondo ng bayan ay hindi dapat inaabuso. Ang pondo ng bayan ay dapat sa taumbayan hindi sa bulsa ng ninuman. Hindi ito sweet talks katulad noong sinasabi ng iba. Ginawa na ng pangulo, inumpisahan na ng Pangulo para iparamdam sa mga nang-aabuso sa pondo na wala kayong lugar at mapuwesto sa gobyerno kung kayo ay magnanakaw lang,” she said.
She said the President would reject questionable budget items that lacked proper documentation, clear project descriptions or adequate justification.
However, Castro stressed that Marcos would not interfere with Congress' deliberations, citing the separation of powers among government branches.
“Ang Pangulo ay hindi makikialam sa trabaho ng Kongreso. Hindi ito panahon para kay Pangulo na pakialaman sila dahil kapag sila ay kinausap at makikialam sa trabaho ng House of Representatives or ng Senado ang sasabihin ng ibang tao ay diktador, kapag naman hindi nakialam sasabihin ninyo walang pakialam. Hindi po mandato ng Pangulo ang makialam sa trabaho at desisyon ng House of Representatives at ng Senado,” she said.
Castro said the proposed budget would undergo further scrutiny in Congress, including the bicameral conference committee, before being submitted to the President.
She also urged critics not to immediately conclude that irregularities had occurred, emphasizing that the administration wanted to prevent delays in priority government projects.
The Palace official said Marcos could exercise his veto power over questionable appropriations when the final budget reaches his desk.