Budget watchdog flags lawmakers responsible for pork amendments

One of the many watchdogs monitoring the budget process undertaken at the House of Representatives identified the lawmakers that were responsible for inserting pork-type amendments in the House version of the national budget.

Public finance specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara took to social media to share her findings related to the 2027 House General Appropriations Bill (HGAB) where she identified P541.4 billion in “pork.”

The lawmakers that the budget watchdog named were Guimaras Rep. JC Rahman Nava, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, Trabaho Partylist Rep. Johanne Bautista, House Deputy Speaker Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez, and House Appropriations Chairperson Rep. Mika Suansing.

“They are some of the accountable for consuming the fiscal space and defunding the P130 billion in Foreign-Assisted Projects in the 2027 Proposed Budget,” Suzara said. “You are all disgusting.”

Suzara likewise noted that the insertions involved increases to government subsidy programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk.

The programs had received P67.5 billion in additional funding from the Budget Amendments and Review Subcommittee (BARSc) which conducted its hearing on 1 October.

Suzara said that the amendments led to the soft pork allocations into the budget by 94.1 percent in comparison to the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

It is worth noting that the finance specialist indicated in her post that her discoveries were made through a website that was specially crafted to oversee the entire budget process.

The platform she mentioned came from journalist Jaemark Tordecilla that provided thorough information with respect to not only the hearing of BARSc but as well as the individual hearings of the House Committee on Appropriations with different agencies.

Based on the website’s records taken from the BARSc hearings, the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)–previously identified as soft pork–received an additional P4.09 billion to the P58.53 billion allocation that it received in the NEP.

It was identified that the proposed LGSF amendment was made by House Deputy Speaker Yegveny Vincente Emano.

The TUPAD program, meanwhile, received P5-billion to its original allocation of P14.24-billion through the amendments proposed by Bautista.

Garcia, meanwhile, was the proponent of the P24.96 billion insertion to the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program from the Department of Health.

As for the AICS program, Nava proposed amendments amounting to P25.80 billion on top of its P33 billion that was indicated in the executive-proposed budget.

Senate vows review on House amendments

With the HGAB formally transmitted to the Senate, Finance Committee Chairperson Senator JV Ejercito confirmed that the House version of the budget had “significant changes” compared to the NEP.

The senator admitted that he was puzzled with the changes in the budget as he identified that there was funding for certain programs that were either removed or reduced.

Ejercito, for his part, said that they would not take the amendments on “face value” and would review the bill in order to identify why the changes were made while also ensuring that sectors that needed funding would receive them.

“We simply need to understand the changes, the reasons and purposes behind them, and how the funds will reach those who need them the most,” he stated.

“Rest assured that we will maintain transparency from the very beginning,” he added.

Ejercito further stated that they would allow civil society organizations to participate in the Senate budget process to ensure transparency and accountability.