A group of education workers on Wednesday, January 7, branded the Marcos administration’s 2026 national budget as “Binigong Pilipinas,” criticizing what it said were misplaced spending priorities that favor "pork barrel" allocations over education, teachers’ salaries, and basic social services.

The statement from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines came after the President signed the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which the group said continues to “underfund public education” while retaining hundreds of billions of pesos in discretionary and corruption-prone allocations.

ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said the government’s promise of “Bagong Pilipinas” rings hollow for teachers and government workers struggling with low wages and rising living costs.

“Hanggang ngayon, wala pa rin ang Bagong Pilipinas. Ang meron lang ay Binigong Pilipinas” (“Up to now, there is still no ‘New Philippines.’ What we have instead is a ‘Failed Philippines’), Bernardo said, referring to what the group described as the administration’s failure to prioritize education and decent pay.

According to ACT, teachers will again receive only the P50 daily increase under Executive Order No. 64 in 2026—an amount the group said is effectively erased by inflation, higher prices of basic goods, and added taxes.

ACT claimed the 2026 budget retains hundreds of billions of pesos in pork barrel funds, including P243 billion in unprogrammed appropriations and over P200 billion in “soft pork” programs such as AICS, MAIFIP, TUPAD, Tulong-Dulong, and locally controlled funds.

The group also raised concerns about infrastructure projects, saying these remain vulnerable to political manipulation and kickbacks.

These distortions, the group alleged, are not accidental, arguing that the budget was already loaded with lump-sum and discretionary items at the proposal stage and further expanded by Congress before being signed into law.

ACT also faulted the Marcos administration and the Department of Education (DepEd) for what it called the continued passing of underfunded programs to teachers.

The group cited the Aral Program, which was implemented last year despite having no initial budget, forcing teachers to use personal funds. The program was only later allocated P8.9 billion, long after implementation had begun.

“This pattern must end. Programs are rushed for propaganda value, while funding is an afterthought,” Bernardo said. “Overworked, underpaid, and undersupported teachers are made to absorb the costs, further cutting into our meager salaries,” she added.

ACT said the administration’s anti-corruption stance is contradicted by the size of pork barrel allocations in the 2026 budget, even as meaningful salary increases for teachers and civilian government workers remain unfunded.

The group also pointed to what it described as preferential increases for police and military personnel, while educators continue to face overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating learning conditions.

ACT reiterated its calls for a P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers and substantial pay hikes for all government workers; education funding equivalent to at least 6% of gross domestic product (GDP), in line with international standards; and the realignment of pork barrel and patronage funds toward education, health, and other basic social services.

“Education must be properly funded, teachers must be paid decently, and social services must be strengthened if this government claims to have any commitment to the nation’s future,” Bernardo said.