Senate Pres. Tito Sotto Speaks on Budget Insertions amid the Upcoming Bicameral Conference Committee Convention
TITO SOTTO – The Senate President claimed that he will not allow last-minute insertions in the proposed 2026 national budget.
Several officials of the government were tagged in the budget insertion issue as well as the supposed multi-billion flood control corruption in the country. It triggered thousands of Filipinos to go out on the streets and protest against the supposed massive corruption in the government.
Last September 21 and November 30, thousands of people called for accountability from the government. The so-called “Trillion Peso March” was held after several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), House of Representatives, and Senate were tagged in the flood control mess.
One of the accused in the flood control mess, Zaldy Co, even tagged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the budget insertion issue. According to him, the President and the former House Speaker allegedly masterminded a P100-billion budget insertion in the 2025 national fund.
Co who refused to return to the Philippines and address the allegations against him also claimed that Marcos Jr. and Romualdez allegedly receive a P56-billion kickback among others. According to the former House member, he was allegedly told by the then-Speaker not to return to the country “as instructed by the President”.
Aside from the President and the former House Speaker, several congressmen including Quezon City Congressman Arjo Atayde, Marikina Cong. Marcy Teodoro, and Pasig Cong. Roman Romulo were tagged in the supposed “kickback system”. Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, and Chiz Escudero were also accused of supposed budget insertion and kickback claims.
The Senate has already passed the proposed 2026 national budget last Thursday on its second reading. The chamber is set to approve the budget on the third and final ready on Tuesday. Senate Pres. Tito Sotto assured that he will not allow last-minute budget insertions.
“Hindi na puwedeng may dadagdag o mag-insert. ’Di ako papayag nun,” Sotto told DWIZ.
Senate Pres. Tito Sotto previously vowed that the country will have a cleaner budget in 2026 as he and House Speaker Bojie Dy will make it sure. Amid the ongoing investigation on the flood control mess, Ombudsman Boying Remulla, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, vowed that the probe will follow the evidence.
Remulla’s statement came after a report of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) tagged former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and presidential son and Ilocos Norte Congressman Sandro Marcos as alleged “Pork Barrel Kings”. Zaldy Co also tagged Cong. Sandro Marcos into the budget insertion issue in the country.