THE PROPOSED P7.2-trillion budget for 2027 is nowhere near its avowed transparency goal with questions raised by Sen. Panfilo Lacson on the P180-million per region (for 17 regions) or a total of P3 billion lumpsums for supposed evacuation centers and P100 million lumpsums per region by the Department of Public Works and Highways that are lacking in details.
Also, the influential Management Association of the Philippines are asking the government to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to dubious line items in the proposed 2027 national budget, while urging it to do away with the “opacity” surrounding the budget process.
On Thursday, Sen. Lacson during the Committee on Finance hearing with the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) asked Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon about appropriations for “blank” items or those lacking key details after DBM said that the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is “execution-ready.”
“Interestingly, Sec you said the budget preparation is execution ready, meaning with a program of work. But we saw lump sum allocations of P180M each for all 17 regions, for evacuation centers. But there were no specifics. Much as we would like to believe you, the NEP says otherwise,” Lacson told de Leon.
“And mind you, this is not just for the 2027 NEP. We also saw P100-million lump sums each for all 17 regions in the Department of Public Works and HIghways budget for 2026. We will ask the DPWH about this too but since this is part of policy, why did the DBCC allow the budget to fund items that are ‘blank,’ meaning there are amounts but no details?”
De Leon explained that the agencies would still be required to submit the final details to the DBM before the allocations could be implemented, adding the Office of Civil Defense (alluding to the evacuation centers) still has to finalize the list.
Still, Lacson pointed out that such details should have been submitted during the budget preparation stage.
Similarly, the MAP is asking the Marcos administration for more transparency in the 2027 budget process, which it called “a litmus test for a government that is still reeling from the flood control corruption mess that has not only put graft in the public spotlight but also dampened investor confidence in the country,” the Inquirer quoted its statement.
MAP described the 2027 budget as “an opportunity for both Marcos and Congress to confront corruption concerns head-on.”
MAP dared the executive and legislative branches, along with government agencies involved in preparing and implementing the budget, to uphold the “highest standards of transparency, integrity and accountability in the use of public funds.”
“The national budget is not government money. It is the people’s money. It comes from taxes paid by Filipino workers, consumers, and businesses, as well as from debt that will ultimately be borne by present and future generations,” MAP’s statement read.
Account For Every Peso
“The government therefore has an obligation to account for how every peso is allocated, spent, and translated into actual benefits for the Filipino people,” it added.
MAP, a 1,400-member group comprising some of the Philippines’ top business executives, called for “zero tolerance” for hidden insertions, questionable appropriations, favored contractors, ghost or substandard projects, unexplained realignments and the use of public funds for political accommodation or personal gain.
Such items have “no place in a government that claims to uphold good governance and fiscal responsibility,” it said.
In particular, MAP wants greater scrutiny during congressional deliberations and the bicameral conference, where changes to the spending plan can be introduced before the final budget is submitted to the President for signing.
All material amendments and insertions should also be fully disclosed, including their proponents, amounts and intended purposes, it said.
“The complexity of the budget process must never become a shield against public scrutiny or accountability,” it said.
For major infrastructure and government projects, MAP said the public should be able to determine how much was appropriated, which contractor received the award, how much was actually disbursed and whether taxpayers ultimately received what was promised.
One way to achieve this, MAP said, is through the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability Act, which seeks to use technology, including blockchain, to make government spending more transparent and traceable.
Only when the government drops its “business as usual” approach to the budget process can it truly rebuild public trust and restore confidence in the integrity of government spending, according to MAP.
But transparency should not end once the General Appropriations Act is signed, MAP stressed.
The business group wants Filipinos to be able to trace public funds from appropriation and release through procurement, contract award, implementation, completion and eventual audit.
Blockchain Technology
Similarly, Sen. Bam Aquino questioned why the Cadena Act, which puts government budget information on blockchain, was left out of the shortened priority measures list under governance and anti corruption reforms.
During Thursday’s Senate hearing, Aquino asked Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) why the measure, previously called the Blockchain the Budget Bill, appeared to have been deprioritized despite being identified as a priority measure in 2025 and 2026.
“What’s the reason why it’s not on this list? Are you not supporting this bill, Secretary?” Aquino asked.
Balisacan said the measure remains on the longer list of priorities of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), but was excluded when government and congressional leaders shortened the list for the next 12 months.
“They decided to shorten it at least for the next 12 months, to ensure that we get the measures that are so critical,” Balisacan said.
Aquino argued that the Cadena Act should be among the measures prioritized because it has already passed the Senate on third reading.
He said the proposal would put the budget on blockchain for greater transparency as it includes information on contractors and the prices of construction materials.
“This bill has been discussed since 2025 and it was deemed very important,” Aquino said.
Balisacan said measures outside the shortened priority list could still advance with support from Congress and the executive branch.
Aquino, however, pointed out that some measures included in the priority list were at earlier stages of the legislative process, while the Cadena Act had already been approved by the Senate seven months ago. But Aquino said it was nowhere in the priority list. He also linked the push for the measure to demands for greater transparency following the flood control controversy.
“Nung kasagsagan ng flood control scandal, we all agreed we would push for this, and push for full transparency,” he said.
Aquino said the measure has also passed the House Committee on Science and Technology and is only awaiting action from the Committee on Appropriations before it can be finalized in the House.
“I hope we can pass this. This can be a legacy of this administration and this Senate and Congress that all these measures can be in the blockchain, para makita po ng taumbayan,” Aquino said.
Balisacan said he would bring Aquino’s concern to the LEDAC leadership.