EDITORIAL - Power of the purse

The executive is putting together the 2026 National Expenditure Program or NEP, which Malacañang typically submits to Congress as the regular session opens in July.

Perhaps the incoming 20th Congress has learned some lessons from the public outrage that erupted over the mangling of the NEP for this year. The 2025 General Appropriations Act faces legal challenges before the Supreme Court, with the petitioners seeking the declaration of several provisions as unconstitutional.

The resulting scandal has been partly blamed by the campaign manager of the administration Alyansa coalition for the disappointing performance of its slate in this year’s Senate race.

President Marcos is apparently aware of the impact of the budget controversy, which has also affected him negatively because he had signed the 2025 GAA with only a token veto of the controversial provisions.

Yesterday, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman issued a statement declaring that the President is closely monitoring the budget process this year and is even prepared to personally attend the bicameral conference committee on the 2026 GAA to prevent a repeat of the controversy.

Pangandaman said the President wanted to ensure that the 2026 outlay would be aligned with government priorities and would be allotted mainly for “shovel-ready” projects and programs.

During the bicameral conference on this year’s GAA, congressmen and senators realigned billions to unprogrammed appropriations – seen as the new congressional pork barrel. They cut to zero the subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and slashed by a hefty P50 billion the proposed funding for the conditional cash transfer while appropriating billions for a cash dole-out program that was not in the NEP, the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program or AKAP.

In violation of the Constitution, funding for the Department of Public Works and Highways also became higher than for the entire education sector, which included learning institutions that were previously excluded from the education budget.

The fund juggling fueled criticism that lawmakers wanted to use public funds to finance their campaigns for the 2025 midterm elections.

Returning senator Panfilo Lacson has a sound proposal – to put together all state-funded ayuda or dole-out programs under the conditional cash transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Cash transfers are withdrawn by 4Ps beneficiaries from ATMs.

The 4Ps, administered by the DSWD and heavily backed from the outset by the World Bank, insulated state-funded aid distribution from politics. It sets conditions for cash transfers to qualified indigents, including sending beneficiaries’ children to school and having women undergo maternal health care.

Beyond such reforms, Malacañang must move decisively to put an end to the abuse of Congress’ power of the purse.