Sotto denies Senate inserted 'pork’ in 2026 budget

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Friday refuted claims that the Senate facilitated the insertion of discretionary or pork barrel funds worth billions of pesos in the proposed 2026 national budget.

This developed as ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio alleged that the Senate cut the benefits for rank-and-file government employees under the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) and realigned them to the pork barrel funds for local government units (LGUs).

"Papaano ka makakakuha ng kickback sa mga mutual benefits ng uniformed personnel? Sige nga, sasabihin mo sa lahat ng pulis at sundalo, 'Bigyan niyo ako ng 10% ha o 15% to 20%'?" Sotto said in a virtual interview with reporters.

(How can you get kickbacks on the mutual benefits of uniformed personnel? Do you tell all the policemen and soldiers to give us 10% to 20%?) 

"Malaking katarantaduhan 'yun. Imposible 'yun. Hindi ko alam bakit nakapagsasalita ng gan'un, na pork barrel daw 'yun. Imposible 'yun," he added. 

(That's absurd. I don't know why there were talks about that being  pork barrel. That's impossible.) 

According to Sotto, the upper chamber has been transparent in the 2026 national budget process, with all budget documents uploaded on the Senate website.

"Nasa website ng Senate lahat pati mga provisions ng lahat ng bagay. Kaya para magsalita ka ng ganoon, aba'y hindi ka nakakaintindi or hindi ka nagbabasa. At saka alam mo, talaga lagi naman 'yan, pagka isang daliri mo nagturo, tatlo nakaturo sa 'yo. Siguro gan'un ang istorya ng mga nagbibintang," he said. 

(Everything is on the Senate website, including the provisions. So for you to speak like that, you either don't understand or you don't read. You know, when you point a finger, three fingers point back at you. Maybe that's for those accusing us.)

Both Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Senate committee on finance chairman Sherwin Gatchalian have also denied such pork barrel funds, saying the realignments would go to the subsistence allowance of uniformed personnel. 

The MPBF is a lump-sum fund under the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) utilized to cover the payment of various benefits and adjustments for national government employees, such as hazard pay, retirement gratuities, and terminal leaves.

Aside from the MPBF, the proposed funding for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) was also criticized and was labeled as a "health pork barrel" for politicians. 

Malacañang said that MAIFIP funds will not go through politicians, but would be released directly to LGU hospitals, with the Department of Health (DOH) implementing the program.

Regardless of the allegations, Sotto maintained that the historic 2026 budget process remains transparent to the public. 

"This will be the benchmark of how budget should be done… I'm only speaking for the Senate. Kami, from Day One, nasa website ng Senate lahat ng nangyayari. Kaya ang mga ibang nagsasabi, bakit ganito, bakit bilyon-bilyon sa ganoon, andoon sa website. Basahin din nila ang provision," the Senate leader said. 

(This will be the benchmark of how the budget should be done... I'm only speaking for the Senate. From Day One, we put everything that happened on the Senate website. I ask those who have questions to read the provision.) 

"Hindi lang open ang budget, hindi lang open ang panonood ng bicam, hindi lang live streaming ang importante. Importante ang website, nandoon lahat. Ultimo, semicolon, period, exclamation point. Nandoon lahat sa Senate website. 'Yan ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat," he added. 

(What's important is not only that the budget process was open, and there's live streaming so people could watch the bicam. What's important is everything is on the website, may it be just a semicolon, period, exclamation point. Everything is there on the Senate website. That is the most important of all.)

The bicameral conference committee adjourned early Thursday morning, after wrapping up extensive deliberations on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for fiscal year 2026 after four days. — VDV, GMA Integrated News