ABS-CBN
Civil society orgs flag problems with budget, call for changes
Civil society organizations have identified three "malignant cancer growths" in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB): "soft pork," "hard pork," and the "shadow budget."
Adolfo Jose Montesa of Roundtable For Inclusive Development explained that "soft pork" refers to "ayuda" or assistance programs like Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and Tulong Dunong.
He argued that these "ayuda" programs turn citizens into clients and politicians into gatekeepers instead of upholding people's rights.
Montesa noted that "soft pork" allocations have amounted to P156 billion in insertions across the past four budgets since 2022.
He further pointed out that funds allocated to these "ayuda" programs show an increase of almost P70 billion from the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the House version of the GAB for 2026.
The funding for AICS, MAIFIP, and TUPAD specifically grew by P66.97 billion, which is more than the P56.6 billion budget increase for education proposed by the House.
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