The consistent “No” votes of progressive Makabayan Bloc lawmakers against the 2024 and 2025 General Appropriations Acts (GAA) have been fully vindicated. The Supreme Court of the Philippines, in its landmark October 20, 2026, decision, declared unconstitutional the said acts, as well as specific special provisions governing unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 GAA.
When the 2024 National Budget passed on September 27, 2023 and the 2025 National Budget passed on September 25, 2024, only three lawmakers, Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list), Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) and Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list) consistently voted no.
Graft-laden flood control projects were heavily embedded in both budgets and served as a central driver in the High Court’s ruling. The Supreme Court specifically cited the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs (SAGIP) under the unprogrammed funds as an illegal lump-sum allocation. During budget deliberations, funds were intentionally diverted from programmed projects to create “artificial fiscal space,” artificially inflating unprogrammed allocations and enabling massive, unscrutinized DPWH programs.
Bayan President Renato Reyes Jr. said that the SC affirmed concerns repeatedly raised by Makabayan legislators, progressive organizations, and anti-corruption advocates about the expansion of pork barrel funds and infrastructure insertions.
He accused Marcos Jr. of playing a central role in the system that allowed questionable allocations to proliferate, calling for him to face investigation and prosecution over his alleged role in the flood control scandal.
Today, as the 2027 national budget is being processed by Congress, again three Makabayan bloc representatives, Rep. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers Party-list), Rep. Renee Co (Kabataan Party-list) and Sara Elago (Gabriela Party-list) opposed its passage in the Lower House, together with ten other representatives.
On October 16, Tinio declared, “This bill is a debt-driven pork barrel budget for the benefit of billionaires and politicians, not the people,” he said. “This budget supports the business operations of oligarchs in electricity, oil, water, infrastructure, rice imports and other food, while bloating projects and dole-outs that serve as sources of corruption and use of social services for political leverage.”
He exposed the deceitful amendments and insertion of line items by a small group of congressmen into the budget without informing the entire chamber, and contrary to what had been presented to the public. He said Congress deliberately concealed the list of which congressmen inserted each of the 6,212 Department of Public Works and Highways projects, as well as other congressional insertions or amendments to the General Appropriations Bill FY 2027.