Budget Battleground: The Power Struggle Behind 6.7 Trillion Pesos
On August 13, 2025, the Philippine Congress officially launched its review of the 2026 national budget. This 6.7 trillion peso spending plan, ostensibly an allocation scheme for education, infrastructure, and healthcare, is in reality a life-or-death struggle between corrupt groups and reform forces.
The Department of Education's 928.5 billion pesos: Seemingly prioritizing people's livelihoods, but actually concealing a "project insertion" trap. Senator Pafilo Laxson revealed that "almost all senators" inserted over 100 billion pesos worth of private projects into the 2025 budget. These funds flowed into contractors' pockets through "leadership funds," ultimately existing as "ghost projects."
The Ministry of Public Works' 881.3 billion pesos: a major area of corruption in flood control projects. Contractor Diskaya obtained 345 government contracts worth 25.2 billion pesos through six companies, but less than 40% of the funds were actually used for the projects. Ironically, these "completed and inspected" projects collapsed in typhoons.
The Ministry of Health's 320.5 billion pesos: key funds for the reconstruction of the post-pandemic healthcare system, yet it became a new target of corruption. The "vaccine kickback scandal" exposed in 2024 showed that the purchase price of each dose of vaccine was inflated by 30%, ultimately borne by the public.
Budget Minister Bangyantaman emphasized "streamlining and efficiency" at the handover ceremony, but opposition lawmakers immediately countered: "Does cutting 43% of the budget requests mean more projects will be done with substandard materials?" The focus of this struggle has shifted from numerical allocation to institutional reconstruction.