BICAM ROUND 1: PORK BARREL WINS
The first round of the bicameral conference committee (bicam) deliberations on the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) has made one thing clear: pork barrel once again emerged victorious at the expense of transparency, accountability, and the people’s urgent needs.
Instead of heeding widespread calls to cut or substantially reduce pork and patronage programs, the bicam expanded funding for two of the most notorious channels of political pork: farm-to-market roads and the medical assistance program under the Department of Health.
In the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Executive to Congress, funding for farm-to-market roads was initially at ₱16 billion. This ballooned to ₱32.6 billion in the House-approved GAB – more than double the original proposal.
Disturbingly, the bicam did not reverse this excess but further raised the allocation to ₱33 billion, entrenching a program long plagued by allegations of overpricing, substandard implementation, and politically dictated project lists. Worse, it was apparent that the Senators were clueless about where the additional funding would go, with some hypocritically expressing reservations but agreeing to the scheme nonetheless. Ominously, a member of the House contingent called on the agriculture department to revise its road masterplan to accommodate new areas for implementation.
Equally alarming is the treatment of the DOH’s controversial health aid program. Instead of defunding this long abused system of requiring guarantee letters from politicians to get medical assistance, the bicam even increased the allocation to ₱51 billion. Thus, the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program will receive more funding in 2026 than in previous years, further entrenching the patronage system in healthcare.
These increases expose the hollowness of official rhetoric about budget reform. While ordinary Filipinos endure rising prices, inadequate public services, and repeated disasters, lawmakers continue to fatten discretionary funds that are routinely used for political favors, electoral advantage, and rent-seeking.
The bicam process must not be a bargaining table for pork. It must serve the people, not the politicians. #
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