Cebu’s 3rd District could see its public works funding plunge by 88.5% under the proposed 2027 national budget, prompting Rep. Karen Hope Garcia to abstain from the House vote and call for a fairer allocation for her constituents.
Garcia was the lone lawmaker who abstained when the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 10858, which proposes a P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, on final reading on Monday. The measure received 281 affirmative votes and 13 negative votes.
The Cebuano lawmaker said she could not support a spending plan that she believed shortchanged her district, but also could not vote against a budget that funds essential government services, including education, healthcare, security and disaster response.
She said voting against the measure would also mean opposing funding for teachers, nurses, soldiers and police personnel, as well as medicines and disaster response.
Garcia’s main concern was the proposed reduction in her district’s public works allocation, from around P1.9 billion this year to approximately P218 million in 2027.
The cut could limit infrastructure development across the district’s seven local government units: Toledo City and the municipalities of Aloguinsan, Asturias, Balamban, Barili, Pinamungajan and Tuburan.
Garcia said projects that could be affected include flood mitigation measures, new roads, multi-purpose buildings and a water system for Toledo City.
She argued that the proposed reduction would burden communities already dealing with the effects of an earthquake, Typhoon Tino, power interruptions and rising prices.
The congresswoman also pointed to the district’s economic contributions, saying these should be considered when the government distributes public funds for infrastructure.
Toledo City, known for its copper mining industry, accounts for about 70% of the country’s mined copper, according to figures Garcia cited. She also said the city generated around P19 billion in economic value and paid P1.2 billion in taxes.
The district also contributes to the Visayas’ energy supply, with power plants providing around 300 megawatts of baseload electricity to the regional grid. Garcia said an additional 150 megawatts was also being supplied.
In Balamban, the shipbuilding industry supports more than 12,000 jobs and recorded US$541 million in exports in 2024, based on figures presented by Garcia.
She said these contributions highlighted what she viewed as an imbalance between the district’s role in the national economy and the public investment it receives for infrastructure.
Despite withholding her vote, Garcia said she remained hopeful that lawmakers could address the district’s funding concerns during the bicameral conference committee deliberations, where House and Senate representatives reconcile differences between their respective versions of the national budget.
Photo courtesy of Cong. PJ & Karen Garcia / Facebook
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