(1ST UPDATE) Senator Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday, September 24, accused lawmakers as if they were reviving pork barrel politics by quietly inserting billions of pesos into the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget without the President’s knowledge.
Tulfo flagged allocations tied to Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co, saying they surged from P519 million in 2022 to P7 billion under the proposed 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
He argued that the Palace receives the NEP already loaded with items, which creates the false impression that DPWH alone crafted the spending plan.
Tulfo lamented that lawmakers still dictate project allocations and pressure district engineers to follow political instructions or risk reassignment. He added that some politicians even act as “proponents,” handpicking contractors themselves.
The senator also criticized Congress for failing to close loopholes exposed during the pork barrel scam more than a decade ago. He said the Napoles case produced a few prosecutions but never eliminated the practice.
“Pinaganda lang nila pero it’s still pork barrel,” he said in an interview with ANC.
Tulfo urged reforms that strip lawmakers of budget influence and require only the DPWH secretary to submit projects for the NEP.
At a Senate Blue Ribbon hearing on September 23, former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan admitted embedding a “leadership fund” in the budget to accommodate congressional requests.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who leads the inquiry, rejected the practice and insisted that lawmakers should make insertions only during budget deliberations in Congress, not before the NEP reaches Malacañang.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.