MANILA, Dec. 14 -- Senators on Sunday pressed for full transparency on the PHP33-billion allocation for farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in the proposed 2026 national budget, amid questions on whether the list of projects resulted from agency planning or congressional insertions following the realignment of flood-control funds.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said clarity is needed on the source and vetting of the FMR projects, noting that the funding level is double the PHP16 billion proposed under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and higher than the House version.

Lacson questioned whether the FMR projects that may be funded by the realignment of PHP255.5 billion in flood-control funds were identified by the Depart...