Time to revisit Bottom-Up-Budgeting

By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M

It is crystal clear now that Malacañang and Congress have been colluding to use the budget process as a cash cow. PDAF, DAP, and now, insertions. These are the different iterations of pork barrel through which billions in taxpayers’ money find their way to the wallets of dynastic politicians and their cohorts. The reality is, the national budget is now firmly under the control of dynastic plunderers. From the time the National Expenditure Plan (NEP) is approved by the President to the time he signs the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

The truth is, unless the budget process itself is totally redesigned, pork barrel corruption will persist. Lamentably, lawmakers are now scrambling to launch inquiries “in aid of legislation,” but far too often these inquiries devolve into political theater—designed to humiliate rivals, shield allies, or generate media buzz. These hearings should not be used to determine criminal liability. That is the job of prosecutors, the Ombudsman, and the courts. Civil society needs to remind Congress of its constitutional duty: to craft laws that prevent corruption before it happens.

Right now, civil society must pressure Congress to enact a modern budget process law—one that shuts down the loopholes exploited for decades by dynasties and contractors. At the heart of this reform is a simple rule: No more congressional insertions! The only responsibility of lawmakers in the budget process is to ensure that public funds are allocated to programs that yield measurable, quantifiable benefits for Filipinos. This would include demanding fiscal projections, cost–benefit analyses, and long-term impact assessments. If a project cannot withstand this degree of scrutiny, then it has no business being funded by taxpayers.

For too long, lawmakers have clung to the antiquated “bring home the bacon” mentality—celebrating pork as if it were a gift to constituents. That mindset has to end. The 1987 Constitution is unambiguous: elected officials are guardians of the public coffers. Their first duty is to protect public funds, not raid them. Oversight—not procurement—is their constitutional mandate. To truly break the cycle of plunder, the entire budget process needs recalibration. It needs to reflect the Bottom-Up Budgeting principle, where the planning begins with communities and regions rather than with national-level political brokerage.

Here is how a streamlined budget process can look:

1. Local governments and lawmakers propose projects to the Regional Development Councils (RDCs).

Let the political haggling happen here, out in the open, where voters can see it. If politicians want to fight for their “spoils,” let them do it in front of the people most affected by their decisions. At least then, they will be compelled to advocate for projects that genuinely matter to their constituents, not to their contractors.

2. The RDC crafts a coherent regional development program.

This regional plan—based on local needs rather than national political deals—is then submitted to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDEV). Obviously, not all of the proposals can be fitted in a national budget. Technical work is needed to produce a coherent whole.

3. DepDEV and the Department of Budget and Management consolidate the RDC development programs into the National Expenditure Plan (NEP).

Mandating that the NEP should be rooted in regional priorities, not the whims of individual lawmakers or political blocs, ensures public funds are utilized for the benefit of the people. It will likewise ensure that the NEP addresses actual development needs.

4. When the NEP reaches Congress, lawmakers have a very specific mandate: reduce or remove allocations if they fail to meet established standards.

This reinforces Congress’s real role: oversight, not engineering and procurement. Even though this is already clear in the 1987 Constitution, the responsibility of lawmakers in the budget process still needs to be defined with specificity in order to reduce, if not eradicate, pork barrel corruption.

Needless to say, the foregoing steps merely form the pillars of an improved budget process. Budget experts and public finance scholars must still be consulted to establish relevant fiscal mechanisms and principles. It cannot be denied though that if Gen Z and Millennial voters push for these reforms, they will redefine politics and governance. A budget process law built on transparency, regional planning, and strict oversight will choke off the lifeblood of the pork barrel cartel. Fix the budget, and we fix much more than flood control. We fix governance. We fix accountability. We fix the future.