Rep. Antonio Tinio – Photo from ACT Teachers party-list/Facebook
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio alleged on Tuesday that the Senate lodged P17.9 billion in pork barrel funds within local government units (LGUs) for 2026, supposedly sourced from government employees’ benefits.
Tinio said the Senate slashed the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund by P55 billion, cutting it from P111.5 billion under the National Expenditures Program to P56.5 billion in its version of the General Appropriations Bill.
He said the Senate then increased the Allocations to Local Government Units by nearly doubling the Local Government Support Fund from P20.2 billion to P38.1 billion.
“The Senate slashed funding for the benefits of teachers, health workers, and government employees, only to funnel those cuts into a massive slush fund for local patronage,” Tinio said.
“This is classic bureaucrat capitalism — robbing the workers to feed the political machinery of local dynasties,” he added.
Tinio presented copies of the Senate’s General Appropriations Bill marked as “prepared by LBRMO,” referring to the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office, to support his claims.
“It is ironic that while some Senators righteously denounce the patronage-based medical assistance fund bloated by the House, their own version of the budget enables LGU officials to do the same with medical assistance, ayuda, and the like,” Tinio said.
“Dapat tanggalin lahat ng pork sa budget – whether dispensed by congressmen, senators, or local government officials,” he added.
Tinio said the P17.9 billion increase included P7.6 billion for the Financial Assistance to LGUs and P10.3 billion for the Growth Equity Fund.
