Saturday over the proposed ₱33 billion allocation for farm-to-market roads (FMR) in the 2026 national budget, warning that the massive increase could invite the same issues that have long surrounded flood control projects.
Speaking during the opening of the bicameral conference committee deliberations, Tulfo said the amount reflects a ₱17 billion hike from the figure originally proposed in the National Expenditure Program.
“I also have reservations on this because it’s ₱33 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.
The senator, who is vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the size of the allocation could raise public suspicion.
“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 shared the concern, noting that the FMR budget could reach as much as ₱43 billion once unreleased 2025 funds are included.
“That’s a lot. And we have to remember that this amount is (originally) roughly around ₱16 billion. It’s almost times three… I am surprised that the masterplan has yet to be developed,” Cayetano said.
House Appropriations Committee chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing said an FMR masterplan is already in place, though she acknowledged gaps in coverage in some remote areas.
Senator Loren Legarda emphasized that farm-to-market roads should be implemented based on actual need, not political divisions.
“(They) must not be distributed according to congressional districts but must be distributed or implemented according to the need of the area, based on population, land area, and others, and not through politically divided districts,” Legarda said.
Tulfo, meanwhile, pressed for clear assurances that safeguards would be strictly enforced.
“When we say that there are safety measures or guards in place, (it means) that these will be implemented properly. It’s ₱33 billion, Mr. Chair, that’s not a joke,” he said.
With no flood control projects included in the proposed 2026 budget, Tulfo warned of possible public backlash if the FMR allocation is perceived as a substitute spending scheme.
“It’s a big amount of money. We do not have flood control projects in the 2026 budget and the people might say: ‘These legislators might have found out another way to get a budget,’” he said.