A minority of House members pushed back hard on Monday, October 13, when the lower chamber ratified the ₱7.2-trillion General Appropriations Bill for 2027 — with 13 representatives voting no and one abstaining, according to House records.
House Bill No. 10858 cleared third and final reading with 281 affirmative votes. The dissenters, drawn from opposition and independent blocs, raised objections covering alleged discretionary fund insertions, unequal distribution of public works money, and what several called a lack of genuine transparency in the amendment process.
Who Voted Against the Bill
The 13 lawmakers who rejected the measure were: Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Egay Erice, Cebu City 1st District Rep. Rachel Del Mar, Kamanggagawa Rep. Eli San Fernando, Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, Akbayan Reps. Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Dadah Kiram Ismula, Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago, Albay 1st District Rep. Krisel Lagman, and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio.
Tiangco: House Exempted Itself from Its Own Scrutiny
Rep. Tiangco took aim at the chamber's own spending plan, questioning why the House did not subject its budget to the same level of review it demands from executive agencies. He noted that the Budget Amendments and Review Subcommittee (BARSc) approved a ₱5-billion increase that pushed the House's proposed budget to ₱28.37 billion.
Tiangco first flagged the issue during budget hearings in August, when he called for per-district allocations to be posted publicly on the House website and asked why the House budget bypassed pre-plenary review. A motion he filed in September to reopen congressional budget deliberations was denied on procedural grounds, House records show.
Del Mar Decries More-Than-Half Cut to Cebu City Infrastructure Funds
Rep. Del Mar said her opposition stemmed from a drastic reduction in infrastructure funding for her district — down from ₱1.3 billion in the 2026 budget to only ₱492 million under the proposed 2027 measure. She further questioned why ₱280 million allotted in 2025 and ₱643 million in 2026 had reportedly not been released.
Del Mar said the stalled funds have left drainage and flood-control projects in her flood-prone Cebu City district incomplete or unstarted.
Erice and San Fernando: Politically Driven Spending
Rep. San Fernando argued the budget failed ordinary Filipinos, describing BARSc hearings as "scripted" and saying the process lacked genuine transparency.
Rep. Erice questioned the volume of public works allocations given continuing corruption controversies and charged that the distribution of funds was designed to benefit political allies of the current administration rather than serve the public good.
De Lima, Diokno, Ismula Raise Patronage and Service Gaps
Rep. de Lima warned that an overemphasis on financial assistance programs risks converting the national budget into a vehicle for political patronage. Rep. Diokno questioned whether education and other key social services received adequate allocations.
Rep. Cendaña raised flags over health care and public transportation funding. Rep. Ismula agreed, arguing that a larger portion of health resources should flow directly to PhilHealth rather than to Department of Health subsidy programs.
Tinio's Specific Allegations: Over ₱100 Billion in Pork-Type Inserts
Among the most detailed charges came from ACT Teachers Rep. Tinio, who told the plenary session that ₱100.44 billion of the ₱116.32 billion in BARSc amendments approved on October 1 and 2 constituted pork barrel-type allocations spanning infrastructure, financial assistance, and other discretionary items.
Tinio additionally alleged that 6,212 projects valued at ₱180.5 billion were inserted during House deliberations, inflating the Department of Public Works and Highways project list from 11,303 under the National Expenditure Program to 16,270. He demanded full public disclosure of project proponents, locations, and criteria for selection.
A point of order Tinio raised over BARSc's failure to release a detailed amendments report was ruled "not well taken" by the majority, according to House records.
House Leadership and DBM Defend the Process
House leaders countered that the amendment process was open and inclusive. Appropriations Committee chair Mikaela Suansing said as early as August that no changes would be made outside public deliberation and that BARSc — which replaced the old "small committee" — was constituted to include representatives from all parties, including the minority bloc.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has also said in earlier official statements that no item in the 2027 National Expenditure Program is designated as "pork barrel."
Next Stop: The Senate
Having cleared the House, the General Appropriations Bill now moves to the Senate for its own round of deliberations. Once the Senate produces its version, a bicameral conference committee will reconcile differences between the two chambers. The final consolidated bill will then go to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature before it becomes law.
By the Numbers
- ₱7.2 trillion — Total proposed national budget for 2027
- 281 — House members who voted in favor of House Bill No. 10858
- 13 — Representatives who voted against
- ₱28.37 billion — House's own proposed budget after a ₱5-billion BARSc-approved increase
- ₱492 million — 2027 infrastructure allocation for Del Mar's district, down from ₱1.3 billion in 2026
- ₱100.44 billion — Portion of BARSc amendments Tinio characterized as pork barrel-type, out of ₱116.32 billion total
- 6,212 — Projects worth ₱180.5 billion allegedly inserted during House deliberations
- 16,270 — Final DPWH project count, up from 11,303 in the National Expenditure Program
Why This Matters
As one of the largest spending proposals in Philippine history at ₱7.2 trillion, the 2027 national budget carries direct consequences for how public funds reach communities nationwide. The allegations of more than ₱100 billion in pork-type insertions, if taken up and substantiated during Senate deliberations, could alter the bill's final shape and reopen broader debates over discretionary fund practices that the Supreme Court has previously struck down. The Senate's forthcoming deliberations will determine the government's complete spending framework for all of 2027.
Source: Originally reported by breakingnewsnegor.com