FORMER senator Franklin Drilon urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to classify all Congress-introduced amendments in the 2025 budget law as “for later release” (FLR) to protect billions of pesos from being used for elections.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said the president should put all Congress-introduced amendments that “fall under what we call ‘pork barrel’ into FLR.”
“This is to prevent the budget from being perceived as a tool for election-related spending,” Drilon said Wednesday. “The 2025 budget is considered an election year budget. Hence, we must be vigilant. The budget should not be a tool in aid of the 2025 elections.”
The Omnibus Election Code prohibits the release, disbursement or expenditure of public funds for public works, as well as the delivery of construction materials, starting March 28, 2025 — 45 days before election day.
Drilon said that by subjecting Congress-introduced amendments to the FLR classification, the public will be assured that government funds will not be used as leverage for election purposes.
He said the FLR mechanism is a practice implemented by the Department of Budget and Management during the Duterte administration.
Under this approach, Congress-introduced amendments that are not part of the president’s National Expenditure Program are classified as FLR, requiring compliance with specific conditions before funds are released.
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