The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) has condemned President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s proposed ₱6.79-trillion 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), branding it “pro-rich, anti-poor” and a direct threat to the country’s most vulnerable sectors.
“This is not a budget for the people. This is for big businesses, foreign interests, and political cronies,” said KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos, as the House of Representatives opened deliberations on the spending plan.
Despite promises of support, the agriculture sector—including fisherfolk—will receive just 3.8% of the total budget. While the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund is set to triple to ₱30 billion, KMP says this is a smokescreen for deeper neglect.
“There’s too little for irrigation, extension services, and rural infrastructure. Productivity will suffer, food prices will rise, and import dependence will deepen,” the group warned.
Filipino farm workers earned an average of ₱331.10 daily in 2019, while small-scale fisherfolk made just ₱107,000 annually. Meanwhile, economists estimate that a household needs nearly ₱500,000 a year to escape poverty.
KMP also blasted the budget’s “measly” 5% increase for health, noting that medical aid for indigents will be slashed by over 40%. Social welfare allocations will barely grow, while emergency jobs and senior pensions face cuts.
“Is there genuine development when farmers are hungry and the people are sick because there is hardly support from government?” Ramos asked.
In contrast, debt interest payments will balloon to ₱950 billion—more than the combined increases for health, housing, and social protection. Defense spending will rise by 14% to ₱430.9 billion, which KMP links to U.S. pressure under the 2023 Bilateral Defense Guidelines.
“[Marcos] is spending billions upon billions for debt servicing and war preparations while the agriculture sector and the entire economy is hard up,” Ramos said.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman admitted the executive may reallocate flood control funds to classroom construction after reports of ghost and substandard projects. President Marcos himself acknowledged corruption in these allocations.
“Mahiya nama kayo,” Marcos declared in his State of the Nation Address last month.
But KMP remains skeptical, citing the persistence of “pro-rich items” in the budget and calling for a radical reorientation of spending priorities.
KMP is urging Congress to:
– Rechannel funds toward direct subsidies and rural infrastructure
– Substantially increase allocations for health, education, housing, and social protection
– Scrap bloated military budgets
– Impose wealth taxes on billionaires and large corporations
“This budget will worsen rural poverty, hunger, and joblessness,” KMP warned. “It’s time to invest in people, not profit.” (JCNE)
