More than P65 million in assistance intended for barangay frontliners and college students in Cebu’s 3rd District remain unreleased despite being included in the 2026 national budget, Rep. Karen Garcia said.
Garcia said P12.108 million intended for 6,054 barangay frontliners from 230 barangays and P53.468 million in educational assistance for 13,367 students enrolled in universities and state colleges have yet to reach their beneficiaries.
She said the assistance had been released every October for the past seven years, allowing barangay workers and students to anticipate the funding.
“For the past seven years, this assistance has always been released every October. Our frontliners and our students could count on it. Now November is almost over and there is still nothing. We can only hope that the national government will still release what is rightfully earmarked for them,” Garcia said.
The reported delay comes as the district faces a proposed reduction in its 2027 allocation.
Citing BetterGov.ph data comparing the National Expenditure Program (NEP) with the House-approved budget on third and final reading, Garcia said the district’s allocation was reduced by P332 million, leaving P222.2 million for 2027.
The resulting allocation is the lowest among Cebu Province’s congressional districts, according to the data cited in her statement.
Garcia also said the 2027 budget version contains no road projects for the district, including maintenance funding for the Transcentral Highway, a major route connecting Cebu City and Balamban.
Cebu 4th District, represented by Rep. Sun Shimura, also saw a reduction, with P304.7 million cut from its allocation and P264 million remaining, Garcia said.
The funding concerns echo the National Unity Party’s (NUP) call for the 2027 national budget to follow clear and predetermined legal standards rather than the discretion of those overseeing its allocation and release.
In a letter to House Appropriations Committee chairperson Mikaela Angela Suansing, NUP chairman Ronaldo V. Puno said public spending decisions should be based on established rules and beneficiaries’ needs.
“where a road is built, who receives medical assistance, and which student gets a scholarship should depend on law and on need, not on who is in favor,” Puno said.
“When allocations rise or fall with a vote, the budget stops being a plan for the country and becomes a tool for reward and punishment,” he added.
Garcia is a member of the NUP.
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