The Marcos administration did not request Congress funding for Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita or AKAP, the pet cash aid program of Speaker Martin Romualdez, in the proposed 2026 budget.
Full story: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/marcos-administration-proposes-zero-funding-akap-2026-budget/
00:00The Marcos administration did not request Congress funding for ayuda para sa Kaposangkita, or ACAP,
00:07the pet cash aid program of Speaker Martin Romualdez in the proposed 2026 budget.
00:12Budget Secretary Amena Pangandaman says due to liminal fiscal space, they did not include ACAP for now.
00:18Last year, the Senate cut 39 billion pesos in ACAP funding from the proposed General Appropriations Bill for 2025 that originated from the House.
00:26But about 26 billion pesos was later restored after closed-door talks in the bicameral conference committee.
00:33It is still unclear if the 2026 House budget will include ACAP funding.
00:37Appropriations Chairperson Mika Swan Singh says in an interview that it is an ongoing discussion whether the House would fund ACAP.
00:44ACAP is a program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development that provides one-time cash assistance of up to 5,000 pesos to middle-class workers.
00:53Critics have expressed concern that ACAP funds have been used as a pork barrel of lawmakers.
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