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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 2026 GAB safeguards to curb patronage politics in government programs--Yamsuan

2026 GAB safeguards to curb patronage politics in government programs--Yamsuan

Published Dec 24, 2025 09:22 pm

At A Glance

  • A member of the Bicameral Conference Committee to the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026 says the safeguards enclosed in the special provisions of the budget measure ensures that government programs and projects are insulated from patronage politics.
Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


A member of the Bicameral Conference Committee to the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026 says the safeguards enclosed in the special provisions of the budget measure ensures that government programs and projects are insulated from patronage politics.
Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan had this to say ahead of the Dec. 29 ratification of the 2026 GAB--the largest in the country’s history.
Yamsuan dispelled concerns that the GAB approved by the Bicam contained "pork barrel" funds in the form of “soft projects” as he stressed that special provisions incorporated into the reconciled budget bill would prevent the budget from being politicized.
Among these soft projects is the allocation for the Medical Assistance to Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP). The program involves the issuance of guarantee letters (GLs) by lawmakers and other government officials to public hospitals and accredited private hospitals, to help cover the medical bills of indigents and other financially challenged patients. 
Yamsuan, one of the 11 House conferees who took part in the bicam hearings from Dec. 13 to 18, said that the funds for this program are with the Department of Health (DOH) and not with government officials. 
“We do not get hold of any funds from MAIFIP. We only issue GLs which are recommendatory. It is still up to the DOH whether to approve or not the GLs we have issued to help out our constituents reeling from their mounting medical bills, especially for those with catastrophic illnesses like cancer,  kidney and heart diseases,” he explained.
Yamsuan said MAIFIP remains a vital component of the national budget as a mechanism to swiftly extend medical aid to indigent patients, until such time that the government could effectively and fully implement the Universal Health Care (UHC) Program. 
“Once PhilHealth shapes up and can effectively implement the provisions of the UHC program, we can give up MAIFIP. We just have to make sure that our countrymen get the medical care they need without having to worry about being buried in debt due to their mounting hospital expenses,” he added.
PhilHealth’s allocation increased from the original National Expenditure Program (NEP) level of P53.2 billion to P129.7 billion after the House of Representatives added P60 billion, and another P16.52 billion was included from the savings generated by the modifications in the budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). 
Yamsuan said the bicam also put in place adequate safeguards in the implementation of DPWH infrastructure projects, such as requiring that these have clear geographic coordinates and station numbers, and opening a transparency portal to allow the public to scrutinize these projects. 
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