Solons to Imee: 2026 budget not crafted around VP Sara impeachment

The 2026 national budget was crafted with social services in mind and not the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, House Appropriations Vice Chairperson Alonto Adiong said Thursday.

"Hindi po nagre-revolve sa isang tao ang the way we understand, ang the way we approach our budget. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ang ating senadora ay nagre-revolve ang kanyang mundo sa isang tao. Pero hindi po kami ganoon in the House of Representatives," the Lanao del Sur congressman said, referring to Senator Imee Marcos' claim that there is soft pork barrel in the 2026 national budget that can be used for the impeachment of the vice president.

(The way we approach the budget does not revolve around one person. I don't know why the senator's world revolves so much around one person. But we're not like that at the House of Representatives.)

The lawmaker said the primary concern of the members of the House of Representatives in crafting the national budget was how to provide better service to their constituents.

"Yung concern namin sa House of Representatives revolves around our concerns to better our service to our constituency. It revolves around the concerns of the people like the MAIFIP (Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients,) like the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers,) like the AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations) and all other social services that we can provide to better the services for our constituencies, that's our concern. Nagre-revolve yan sa concern ng ating mga kababayan," he added.

Duterte had earlier leveled the allegation that the planned refiling of an impeachment complaint against her was being used as a "bargaining chip" ahead of the passage of the 2026 budget, an accusation that House lawmakers expressed puzzlement at.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Act Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio also said there is no specific item for an impeachment budget in the 2026 national budget.

"Wala namang specific budget for impeachment. So definitely walang ganoong usapan," Tinio said in an online interview Wednesday.

"There is no explicit budget for impeachment. That's absurd. However, the budget is always used to incentivize the majority to support whatever is the initiative of Malacañang," he added.

Senator Erwin Tulfo also responded to Marcos's claim. "Ako as vice chair, wala akong nakita na pondo para gamitin [As vice chair of the Senate finance committee, I didn’t see any funds that could be used] to operate against the Vice President for her impeachment,” he said. — BM, GMA Integrated News