Lawmakers from the National Unity Party (NUP) on Wednesday called for modifications to the proposed spending plan for next year, urging the House of Representatives to fix their ‘serious concerns’ that impede project execution and social aid distribution in their districts.
Its members are concerned about ‘persistent reports of significant delays in the release of funds for infrastructure projects’ financed by prior budgets, while criticizing what they felt as an ‘uneven and selective’ approach by the Department of Public Works and Highways in approving construction works across districts nationwide.
‘In certain districts and provinces, projects that had been identified and funded were later declared non-implementable by the Department’s district offices, without explanation,’ the NUP said in a statement.
Release delays also hit key social welfare initiatives, including nearly P300 million for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s crisis assistance program and P120 million under the Department of Health’s medical grants for indigent patients, it added.
‘It remains our firm position that the distribution and continuity of national resources, whether during initial budget preparation or final fund releases, and whether for infrastructure or for social services, should be ensured,’ the NUP said.
Constituent support across hundreds of legislative districts nationwide is heavily tied to tangible infrastructure works and social aid, and lawmakers face pressure to deliver on those projects to maintain support in their home district.
The party’s demands underscore the leverage legislators hold during budget discussions, with friction over delayed local projects building as the House races to approve the spending bill before next week’s deadline.
The NUP put forward several ‘specific requests’ under their proposal, including the release of pending funding for infrastructure projects funded by the 2025 and 2026 national budgets and ending the practice of tagging some projects with a ‘for later release’ label.
‘On this matter, we urge that the FY 2027 GAA carry a general provision confirming that every appropriation authorized in the Act is released upon its effectivity,’ the party said, referring to the General Appropriations Act.
It also compelled for the release of classroom and education facilities funding, while also immediately discharging unreleased funds for social assistance projects.
‘Projects already authorized and underway must reach completion without administrative disruption, and social assistance funds allocated to all districts must be released immediately to the people for whom they were designated,’ the party said.
Congress must also have a say in how the Local Government Support Fund is earmarked nationwide, the NUP added.
To eliminate district disparities, the party recommended the government to distribute local funding using a transparent, metrics-based formula tied to population size, poverty incidence, and regional development needs.