MANILA – Senators on Sunday pressed for full transparency on the PHP33-billion allocation for farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in the proposed 2026 national budget, amid questions on whether the list of projects resulted from agency planning or congressional insertions following the realignment of flood-control funds.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said clarity is needed on the source and vetting of the FMR projects, noting that the funding level is double the PHP16 billion proposed under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and higher than the House version.
Lacson questioned whether the FMR projects that may be funded by the realignment of PHP255.5 billion in flood-control funds were identified by the Department of Agriculture (DA) or inserted by lawmakers.
Unless corrected in the final version, Lacson said he will not sign the bicameral conference committee report.
“I will not associate myself with the PHP33-billion spending for unplanned and unvetted farm-to-market roads,” Lacson said.
He added that unvetted allocations risk repeating the same issues that prompted scrutiny of flood-control projects, stressing the need for projects to be agency-driven, properly planned, and publicly disclosed.
Senator Erwin Tulfo earlier warned that the significant increase in the FMR budget could raise public suspicion if safeguards are unclear.
“I also have reservations on this because it’s PHP33 billion. This is such a huge amount. While I know that our farmers need this, the problem is that the public might think that we may have removed the flood control projects, but we replaced it with farm-to-market roads,” Tulfo said during the first day of the bicameral conference committee meeting.
“The Filipino people who are watching us right now cannot help but think that there might be problems with this. That the issues in flood control will only transfer to farm-to-market roads,” he added.
Senator Pia Cayetano, for her part, pointed out that the effective funding for FMRs in 2026 could rise further due to unreleased funds from the previous year.
“That’s a lot. And we have to remember that this amount is [originally] roughly around PHP16 billion. It’s almost times three… I am surprised that the master plan has yet to be developed,” Cayetano said, referring to the possibility that the total could reach as much as PHP43 billion once PHP11 billion in 2025 unreleased funds are considered.
House Appropriations Committee chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing clarified during the bicameral discussions that an FMR master plan already exists, but acknowledged that some far-flung areas are still not covered.
Senator Loren Legarda stressed that while FMRs are essential for agricultural productivity and rural development, their implementation must be needs-based and insulated from political considerations.
“FMRs are needed but must not be distributed according to congressional districts, but must be distributed or implemented according to the needs of the area, based on population, land area, and others, and not through politically divided districts,” Legarda said.
Tulfo also called for firm assurances that safety and quality control will be strictly enforced in the implementation of FMR projects.
“When we say that there are safety measures or guards in place, [it means] that these will be implemented properly. It’s PHP33 billion, Mr. Chair, that’s not a joke. It’s a big amount of money,” he said, adding that the absence of flood-control projects in the 2026 budget heightens the need for transparency in how the FMR funds will be used.
Senators expect the final bicameral report to clearly identify the source, criteria, and geographic distribution of FMR projects to ensure accountability in the realignment of funds originally intended for flood-control measures. (PNA)