THE House of Representatives on Monday defended the realignment of funds under the proposed 2027 national budget, citing slow agency spending and ₱15.33 billion in unused disaster funds that could be redirected to programs capable of delivering faster public services.
Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia, senior vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, said lawmakers identified government programs with implementation delays and unspent allocations during marathon budget hearings.
“Pero ‘yung mga programs na mabagal at nakita n’yo meron pang 2026 budget na natitira tapos darating pa ’yung 2027 budget, mabubulunan,” Garcia, a stalwart of the National Unity Party (NUP), said at a press conference attended by representatives of major political parties.
“So ’yung mga ’yun, habang inaayos ng agency ’yung kanyang sistema sa implementation, inililipat doon sa ibang priority na mabilis ’yung implementation,” he added.
Garcia stressed that the adjustments targeted specific underperforming programs rather than entire agency budgets.
He said the goal was to prevent funds from remaining idle while other government programs urgently needed support.
“Nang sa ganoon, walang budget na bumalik, walang budget na matengga,” Garcia said.
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe, representing the Party-list group, cited the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, which he said had ₱15.33 billion in unused allocations as of June 30, 2026.
“As of June 30, 2026, itong program na ’to had 15.33 billion pesos completely unspent. That budget was not used at all,” Poe said.
He said the unused allocation became a basis for a proposed amendment increasing the quick response funds of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Agriculture (DA).
“So what happened? Ito ’yung naging precursor po ng amendment po natin na imbes na nandito nakatengga ’yung pondo, pinalipat po sa quick reaction fund ng DSWD at ng DA,” Poe said.
He explained that the proposed adjustment would preserve the funding’s disaster-response purpose while allowing agencies with greater implementation capacity to deliver assistance sooner.
“It just so happens that the DA and DSWD could mobilize quicker,” Poe said.
Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. of the Nacionalista Party clarified that the House did not automatically remove the entire allocation of programs with poor spending performance.
“Hindi naman lahat kinuha ’yung budget. Tinitingnan lang ng BARC kung magkano kaya ang maubos nila,” Momo said, referring to the House Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee.
“So binabalanse din ng BARC iyon na kung magkano lang ang kunin at may iiwan pa rin,” he added.
Garcia said the reasons for the adjustments were discussed during extensive committee hearings, some lasting up to 10 hours, with certain agencies undergoing additional scrutiny.
“Gusto ko lang pong ipaliwanag, all of the answers to those questions and queries can be found doon sa marathon hearings na ginawa ng bawat vice chair doon sa mga agency,” he said.
Poe also urged senators and civil society organizations to help verify whether programs identified as underspending were appropriate sources of funding for more urgent projects.
“But we also need help in making sure that the projects and programs that we identified as underperforming or with low absorptive capacity are the right ones,” Poe said.
The explanations came amid questions over the estimated ₱190 billion in House budget amendments.
The House-approved ₱7.2-trillion spending bill is now under Senate review before bicameral deliberations.
metrosundaily
