Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos said she does not support the proposed 2026 national budget passed by both houses of Congress, claiming it is riddled with “pork” or pork barrel—discretionary funds that the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Dec. 31, the presidential sister said she did not sign the bicameral conference committee report which contains the unified version of the General Appropriations Bill after the House of Representatives and the Senate reconciled differences in their respective versions.
Although Marcos did not initially manifest a “no” vote, she said she also does not agree with the ratification of the bicam report, which the Senate approved on Dec. 29.
“Ang budget na ito ay giniling—pork pa rin, giniling lang para ‘di halata… Kaya ayoko pumirma,” Marcos said.
[Translation: This budget has been ground up—it’s still pork, just minced so it’s less obvious. That’s why I refuse to sign it.]
Marcos said it was wrong for lawmakers to reallocate funds from flood control projects to social aid programs which she described as “soft pork” because of their long-standing association with political considerations.
She enumerated the following:
- Medical Assistance of Indigent and Financial Incapacitated Patients
- Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations
- Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers
- Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk
- Farm-to-Market Roads
- Local Government Support Fund
Marcos said a total of ₱143.83 billion was added to these programs compared with the National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposed by the executive to Congress.
“Tuwing mababanggit ang soft pork, hindi ko maiwasang isipin na ito ay pork barrel pa rin,” she said.
[Translation: Whenever ‘soft pork’ is mentioned, I can’t help but think that it is still pork barrel.]
Pork barrel refers to lawmakers’ discretionary funds, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 2013 following a corruption scandal in which funds were allegedly funneled to bogus non-government organizations linked to businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, who has since been imprisoned.
Marcos also opposed the cuts to flagship infrastructure projects, including foreign-assisted projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“Umabot sa ₱124.58B ang kinaltas mula sa NEP, kahit hindi naman flood control ang mga proyektong ito at kasama pa ang North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) at Metro Manila Subway,” she said.
[Translation: The cuts from the NEP reached ₱124.58 billion, even though these projects are not flood control projects, and they even included the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) and the Metro Manila Subway.]
There will be no new flood control projects next year after Congress reduced funding amid what has been described as the largest corruption scandal in history.
Lawmakers in connivance with government officials, personnel, and contractors, allegedly made budget insertions to accommodate anomalous flood control projects with provisions for kickbacks.
Following the scandal, Congress implemented additional transparency measures in deliberating the 2026 budget, including the first-ever livestreaming of bicameral meetings. These changes contributed to delays, resulting in the failure to sign the budget before yearend.
The government will now operate under a brief reenacted budget, implementing the 2025 spending plan with no new projects, until the 2026 budget is enacted.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign the General Appropriations Bill into law on Jan. 5.
