Tighter budget rules eyed to deter corruption, patronage

The Senate will pursue a more systematic and evidence-based approach to the budgeting process to curb the yearly average of P385 billion in unused appropriations, which Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said stems from a culture of patronage in fund allocations.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

Lacson said that many projects, particularly in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Public Works and Highways, often go unimplemented because agencies are not consulted on realignments made during budget deliberations.

“For a certain period, our unused appropriations are around P385 billion a year. That's the average because the implementing agencies are not consulted by the legislators, they just realign and realign (the budget),” he said ata press briefing.

The senator raised the concern after Senate finance committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian noted that allocations for farm-to-market roads (FMR) had doubled in the House version of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Lacson said it must be determined where the list of projects came from and whether the DA itself endorsed them.