MANILA, Philippines — The militant coalition Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is set to file a second impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The move targets the President for “betrayal of public trust” following explosive allegations of a multi-billion peso pork barrel scheme embedded in the national budget.
Bayan president Renato Reyes Jr. confirmed that the complaint is endorsed by the three-member Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives: ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co.
The “BBM” Formula Scandal At the heart of the complaint is the so-called Baselined-Balanced-Managed (BBM) Parametric Formula. Developed by the late former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, this 16-page “Cabral formula” was allegedly used to craft the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budgets from 2022 to 2026.
The Makabayan bloc identified the third stage of this formula—the “Managed” phase—as the “smoking gun.” In this stage, technical data for project allocations is reportedly overridden by the “priorities of the leaders of the national government.”
- The Allegation: Individual officials, including the President and his allies, could insert pet projects into the budget in exchange for kickbacks.
- Whistleblower Testimony: The complaint builds on recent claims by resigned Rep. Elizaldy Co that the system allowed for “systematic and large-scale plunder” of public funds.
Abuse of Unprogrammed Funds The complaint also cites the “unprecedented abuse of unprogrammed appropriations” in the 2026 General Appropriations Act. Reyes argued that the persistence of these “allocables” demonstrates the President’s complicity in a patronage system designed to shield corruption under the guise of technical formulas.
Race Against the Clock Timing is critical for Bayan. Under Philippine law, once an impeachment complaint is referred to the House committee on justice, no other complaint can be filed against the same official for one year. A first complaint, filed last week by lawyer Andre de Jesus, has already been transmitted to the Speaker’s office. Critics, including Reyes, have labeled the first complaint as “weak” and “lacking substance,” suggesting it may have been filed intentionally to trigger the one-year ban and shield the President from more substantial charges like those in the Bayan complaint.
A Historic Dual Trial? As the House evaluates the complaints against the President, Senator Risa Hontiveros noted the historic possibility of the Senate holding two separate impeachment trials—one for President Marcos and another for Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also facing multiple impeachment raps.
The Bayan complaint is signed by a broad coalition of taxpayers, workers, farmers, students, and anticorruption advocates, signaling a widening rift between the administration and various sectors of Philippine society.