Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Article (news)

Budget bicam

RG Cruz

Vivienne Gulla

<p>MANILA — Senators on Wednesday denied allegations by ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. Antonio Tinio, a House deputy minority leader, that there is &quot;Senate pork&quot; in the proposed 2026 national budget.</p><p>Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the allegation was borne out of laziness and an attempt to &quot;destabilize the Senate&quot; and &quot;take the heat off&quot; the lower chamber.</p><p>He explained that the &quot;Senate pork&quot; that Tinio flagged are realignments to increase the subsistence allowance of the police, jail guards, firefighters and coast guard personnel.</p><p>&quot;All our (Senate) amendments are institutional and openly proposed on the Senate floor during the period of individual amendments,&quot; he said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/16/lawmaker-says-maifip-not-patronage-politics-1723"><strong>Lawmaker says MAIFIP &#x27;not patronage politics&#x27;</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>TINIO: THE BUDGET CUTS ARE REAL</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>But the congressman stood by his allegation that the Senate slashed the proposed 2026 funds for the benefits for rank-and-file government employees to fund a P17.9-billion increase in “discretionary pork barrel funds” for Local Government Units.</p><p>&quot;Talagang kinaltasan ‘yung pondo para sa performance-based bonus, P13 billion ang kinaltas dyan, P15 billion ang kinaltas para sa hiring ng additional personnel including ‘yung pwedeng gamitin para sa pag-regularize ng mga job order at contractual.&quot;</p><p>(There really was a cut to funds for performance-based bonuses, by P13 billion. Another P15 billion that was for hiring additional personnel that could have been used to regularize job order and contractual workers was also cut)</p><p>He said P2 billion was also cut from a proposed fund to hire more people for unfilled positions.</p><p>Tinio said that what was increased was financial assistance to local government units from the national government.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/17/2026-budget-bicam-extends-to-four-days-as-deadline-looms-0829"><strong>2026 budget bicam extends to four days as deadline looms<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Puwedeng gamitin sa infrastructure, roads, bridges, multipurpose buildings, o kaya para sa ayuda, ‘yung medical, ‘yung financial assistance. In short, pork barrel, pero para sa LGU.&quot;</p><p>(It can be used for infrastructure, roads, bridges, multipurpose buildings, or for aid like medical and financial assistance. In short, this is pork barrel but for LGUs)</p><p>Tinio said that was not in the National Expenditure Program submitted by the executive branch nor in the House version of the budget bill, meaning the amendment was made by the Senate.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;BASELESS, GROSSLY MISLEADING&#x27;  </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian called Tinio&#x27;s allegation &quot;baseless and grossly misleading&quot;, adding the amendments &quot;were made with full transparency and in line with constitutional mandates.&quot;</p><p>He said the increase in funding for the the Local Government Support Fund is not &quot;pork&quot; but an investment in communities at the grassroots level. </p><p>Gatchalian also stressed that the reduction in the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) should not be misconstrued as a cut to government employees benefits.</p><p>He said the Department of Budget and Management has clarified that the MPBF is a reserve fund and not a direct salary or benefit allocation. </p><p>&quot;Mag-aral siya ng budget (He should study the budget),&quot; Lacson also said of Tinio.</p><p>Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said he believes that the proposed 2026 National Budget can still be approved before yearend to avoid a reenacted budget.</p><p>Reenactment, or using the previous year&#x27;s budget, has been criticized as inefficient and prone to corruption because money could be allocated to projects that have already been completed.</p><p>&quot;The people lose with a reenacted budget. A reenacted budget will affect economic recovery efforts,&quot; Recto told ABS-CBN News in a text message.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/17/palace-congress-can-still-pass-2026-budget-on-time-1508"><strong>Palace: Congress can still pass 2026 budget on time</strong></a></div><p>Former Senate President Franklin Drilon, told ANC however, that a reenacted budget would be preferable to giving in to the House just to pass the bill.</p><p>&quot;[G]iven the circumstances we are today, it&#x27;s better probably to force a deadlock, compel compromise and come out with better budget that would really spur growth for our economy which is now in doldrums,&quot; he said, adding giving in to the House would put the country &quot;in [the] same situation as we are this year.&quot;</p><p>He added President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. &quot;catipulating&quot; to the House would drag his popularity further down.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/4/marcos-satisfaction-rating-falls-to-its-lowest-since-taking-office-wr-numero-0930"><strong>Marcos satisfaction rating falls to its lowest since taking office: WR Numero<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Today, you see president making announcements that should be done by the [Department of Foreign Affairs], [Department of Justice]. Hindi dapat sa pangulo &#x27;yan (That&#x27;s not the president&#x27;s job], but he&#x27;s doing that. Everything in the name of ratings,&quot; Drilon said. </p><p>&quot;Unfortunately, I don&#x27;t think this would improve his ratings, capitulation to Congress will make it worse. He better try something new. Defy Congress, maybe that&#x27;s the solution.&quot;</p>

<p>Senators on Wednesday denied allegations by ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. Antonio Tinio, a House deputy minority leader, that there is "Senate pork" in the proposed 2026 national budget.</p>

Senators on Wednesday denied allegations by ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. Antonio Tinio, a House deputy minority leader, that there is "Senate pork" in the proposed 2026 national budget.

Senators, ACT Teachers Rep. Tinio spar over 'Senate pork' in budget bill

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Senators, ACT Teachers Rep. Tinio spar over 'Senate pork' in budget bill

RG Cruz,

Vivienne Gulla

Published Dec 17, 2025 06:38 PM PHT

Read More:

Antonio Tinio

Panfilo Lacson

Sherwin Gatchalian

Senate

House of Representatives

National Budget

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