Last-minute insertions to the national budget under the Marcos administration have become the "new face" of pork barrel politics, according to a public budget analyst.

 

"Dahil walang [Because there is no] explicit prohibition na ma--insert at baguhin ang itsura ng [on insertions and revisions of the] proposed budget-which is the President's budget-now, the 'power of the purse' means introducing programs and projects, [and] and not simply limited to authorizing the spending proposal," said Zy-za Suzara, budget analyst and former executive director of the Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, and Democracy (iLEAD), in a forum titled "Pambansang Ayuda: Sagot nga ba sa Kahirapan?" on March 18 in Cubao, Quezon City.

 

Budget analyst Zy-za Suzara talks about the insertions and revisions in the national budget in recent years.

 

Suzara pointed out that the 2013 Supreme Court ruling banned legislators from intervening in the budget execution, from identifying, modifying, and revising projects, to releasing of funds.

 

However, unconventional practices like inserting and realigning amounts during the closed-door bicameral committee meetings in the last three years have resulted in inflated allocations for several hard and soft projects.

 

These are flood control, local roads, bridges, multipurpose halls, and financial aid programs like Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated People (MAIFIP), and Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD).

 

Attended by more than 80 individuals from the academe, media, and civil society, the forum was organized by the International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov) to tackle the current challenges in the national budgeting process and possible solutions against its politicization.

 

CSO representatives attend the March 18 forum.

 

A distinct trend is the rising allocations for cash aid or ayuda, which constitute about 3% of the overall national budget. Notably, Suzara said the funding for AKAP and AICS in the last three years reached Php 209 billion: Php 40 billion in 2022, Php 37 billion in 2023, Php 61 billion in 2024, and Php 71 billion in 2025.

 

JC Punongbayan, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics and a Trustee of INCITEGov, noted that there are pros and cons to implementing either conditional or unconditional cash transfers.

 

"Halimbawa, kung may emergencies, may sakuna, kung saan kailangan ng pera nang mabilisan, ang unconditional cash transfers 'yung mas makakapagbigay noon," he said. (For example, if there are emergencies, like disasters, wherein we need urgent funds, unconditional cash transfers are better.) These programs, however, can easily be "politicized" because of their immediacy and short-term nature.

 

He observed how politicians have given away ayuda through mall tours and caravans in different parts of the country. He cited events like the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in Davao del Norte, the Startup Investments Business Opportunity and Livelihood (SIBOL) Program in Cavite, and the Cash Assistance and Rice Distribution (CARD) in Tacloban.

 

Punongbayan warned that these events can pave the way for "legalized vote buying." While the Commission on Elections said it would prohibit the distribution of ayuda days before the May 2025 polls, he said most of these have already been distributed in recent months.

 

"Merong supply ng ayuda dahil malaki ang binabadyet para rito. At the same time, maraming mga tao ang talagang nag-de-demand para sa ayuda dahil sino ba naman ang tatanggi sa pera mula sa gobyerno?" he added.

 

(There is a supply of financial aid because of the large budget allocated to it. At the same time, there is high public demand for it because who would refuse money from the government?)

 

Suzara, who previously worked at the Department of Budget and Management, noted that the issue of ayuda is inevitably intertwined with pork barrel politics and the erosion of budget integrity.

 

AKAP, for example, is "purely an insertion" in the budget and cannot be found in the National Expenditure Program, according to Suzara. In the last two budget cycles, the program received Php 53 billion.

 

Transforming 'Ayuda nation'

 

Jonathan Chua, an organizer of informal settler families at the Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, said people on the ground tend to welcome ayuda programs. If people at the community level are organized, their strength can be leveraged to make sure that ayuda is implemented in a more responsive way.

 

When communities are well-organized, they become more than just recipients of aid-they become active participants in ensuring that ayuda (social assistance) truly meets their needs. Organized communities can monitor how aid is distributed, identify gaps or irregularities, and give direct feedback to local authorities. This collective voice puts pressure on decision-makers to be more transparent, accountable, and responsive.

 

Community organizing cam transforms aid delivery from a top-down process into a more inclusive and demand-driven system-one where people's lived realities shape how resources are allocated and delivered.

 

SENTRO's Jonathan Chua flags problems in the targeting and validation of 'ayuda' beneficiaries.

 

Without a systematic targeting and validation of the recipients, even those who are not supposed to be part of the list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) get aid. Some even double or triple dip by getting into AICS, AKAP, and TUPAD all at the same time. Chua related the common practice of enlisting several family members but using different addresses.

 

For community leader Adel Dolar, more dole-outs mean less for programs like Sustainable Livelihood and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps).

 

In the 2025 national budget ,4Ps was placed under unprogrammed funds-which is the standby authority to spend for projects with no definite funding source. Typically, those that fall under unprogrammed are second priority for the government.

 

"Nakakalungkot [...] dahil maganda kasi itong naging program ng pamahalaan na long-term solution para mabawasan ang kahirapan na nangyari sa bansa," said Dolar, who is a graduate of the 4Ps program herself. (It's saddening... because this is a good government program that is focused on a long-term solution to reduce poverty in the country.)

 

SNPP leader Adel Dolar hopes the government will continue prioritizing funding for conditional cash transfer programs like 4Ps, rather than simply distributing unconditional cash grants to communities.

 

Recognizing that being a 4Ps recipient "is not forever," she fears unconditional ayuda programs might force her fellow community members to remain dependent on the government.

 

"Dahil sa ayuda, ang nangyayari po ay ang ibang thinking ng ibang Pilipino, na 'iboboto kita'," Dolar added. (Some people might think 'Because you gave me this, I'll vote for you.')

 

Punongbayan stressed that additional research and data are needed to prove the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers such as AICS, AKAP, and TUPAD. "Hindi katulad ng 4P's na tulad ng sinabi ko ay napatunayan na ng iba't-ibang mga studies, isang problema pa sa ayuda ay maaaring pinapatagal nito or pine-perpetuate ang cycle of poverty," he said, adding that this could keep families from investing in their health and education.

 

(Unlike the 4Ps program, which has been proven effective in different studies, unconditional aid may prolong or perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

 

Economist JC Punongbayan lists the government's biggest ayuda programs and their 2025 budget allocations.

 

Suzara said if the insertions continue at the bicameral committee level, more brazen politicians could add ayuda to the budgets of different departments. Currently, apart from DSWD, the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Public Works and Highways also have ayuda-type projects.

 

For her, it is not enough to be smarter to know how to use ayuda. "Pero 'yung perspective na habang lumalaki yung ayuda, maraming ibang program ang na-defund. Maraming ibang budget priorities ang nasasakripisyo," she said.

 

(But also, the perspective that the more money is given to aid, the more other programs are being defunded. Other budget priorities are being sacrificed.)