Senator Francis Pangilinan said the bicameral-approved P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget includes strong safeguards to prevent “ghost” projects, patronage spending, and backroom allocations amid public anger over the 2025 flood-control controversy.
Pangilinan said the entire budget process was livestreamed and opened to citizen oversight, with policies crafted alongside civil society groups to ensure transparency and accountability.
Under the 2026 budget, agriculture infrastructure projects now require annexes with exact locations, geo-tagged coordinates, detailed designs, and validated costs. Project timelines, contractors, and fund releases must be posted on public online dashboards to eliminate “paper projects.”
The budget also institutionalizes Citizen Participatory Audits across agencies, GOCCs, and LGUs with the Commission on Audit, allowing civil society to join audit planning and validation.
To curb patronage, social services funds will go directly to beneficiaries. For Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients, earmarking funds for specific offices or districts is banned, with releases subject to eligibility rules and public disclosure.
Feeding and food procurement programs must prioritize direct purchases from farmers and fisherfolk under the Sagip Saka Act, with regular reports to Congress.
The General Appropriations Bill will be returned to Congress for ratification before being sent to the President for signing.IMT
