IF FORMER Ako Bicol Party-list representative Elizaldy Co’s allegations are accurate, Cebu emerges as one of the most heavily funded provincial recipients in the alleged P100 billion in “secret insertions” in the 2025 national budget.
The province has been allocated sprawling, high-cost road networks, tourism corridors and barangay connectors worth about P7.58 billion. These were embedded into the General Appropriations Act of 2025. Co has also claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was aware of, and personally ordered, the insertions. Malacañang has denied wrongdoing.
The big question
Did the structure of the bicameral conference committee, or bicam, make it possible for projects of this scale to be inserted into the national budget with little visibility?
What Co says happened
Co said Budget Secretary Mina Pangandaman called him at the start of the bicam in 2024 and relayed instructions she said came from Marcos. The directive, he said, was to insert P100 billion worth of projects into the 2025 budget. He said Pangandaman told him to confirm the list with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who, according to Co, affirmed that the projects “came from PBBM himself.”
Co said he sought guidance from then speaker Martin Romualdez, who told him, “What the President wants he gets.” He added that he asked if half of the insertions could be shifted to unprogrammed funds. He said Pangandaman later relayed a message from Marcos: “Put it in and it can no longer be changed.”
The list involved more than P81 billion in Department of Public Works and Highways projects and other allocations involving the Office of the President and several agencies. Co said he then left the country for medical reasons in July. He now claims he was used as a “cover” in an anti-corruption campaign.
Why Cebu is in the spotlight
Cebu did not receive the single biggest entry in Co’s list, but it has the widest and densest spread of projects. The province’s total listed allocation reaches P7.58 billion.
Dumanjug leads with P3.23 billion across 18 projects, followed by Sibonga with P1.05 billion. One of the largest corridor segments is the P750 million Santander–Barili–Toledo road. Other towns with substantial entries include Barili, Malabuyoc, Carcar City, Argao, Badian and Pinamungajan.
Smaller but numerous allocations appear across both the north and south, including Carmen, Compostela, Medellin, San Remigio, Moalboal, Dalaguete, Samboan, Catmon, Bogo City, Oslob and Cebu City.
The projects range from P20 million barangay connectors to larger P150 million to P380 million road packages. A Talisay City bridge and a Dalaguete airstrip also appear on the list. At least five projects worth P310 million have been bid out, though most have not yet started. The largest clusters, about P7.27 billion, cannot be independently confirmed through bidding records or DPWH listings.
How the bicam works
A budget bill must pass both the Senate and the House. If the chambers approve different versions, the bicam reconciles these differences. Its report goes back to both chambers for approval, usually without further changes.
Because the bicam is the final stage before the spending plan goes to the President, it carries broad authority. Negotiations are closed to the public, timelines are tight and decisions can be made quickly. This is why some observers call it a “third chamber of Congress.”
Why critics see the bicam as vulnerable
Opacity: Sessions are not open to the public.
Late-stage insertions: Provisions can be added with minimal debate.
Weak enforcement: Rules limiting the bicam to reconciling differences are not always followed.
Urgency: Budget deadlines compress the time for scrutiny.
Co’s account fits these long-standing concerns. Insertions placed at this stage often remain intact in the final law.
Why the alleged insertions matter
The allegations raise two major questions: Did the bicam process allow the introduction of large, unvetted allocations? Did internal controls at the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Public Works and Highways function as intended?
Cebu’s large and geographically dispersed allocations, along with the number of entries lacking clear documentation, have placed the province at the center of the issue.
What happens next
Marcos has ordered investigations into irregularities in infrastructure and flood control spending. His administration created the Independent Commission on Infrastructure to look into losses from questionable projects. Co says he will present evidence supporting his claims.
The issue now turns on documentation, verification and whether the identified projects entered the budget through regular procedures or through a process that exceeded the bicam’s mandate.
What is clear is that the structure of the bicam will remain central to future discussions on budget transparency and the risks posed by last-minute insertions. / EHP, TPM / SUNSTAR PHILIPPINES