House minority hits unprogrammed appropriations

MANILA, Philippines — The P243.2-billion unprogrammed appropriations kept intact in the 2026 national budget approved on Monday by the House of Representatives might serve as a “blank check” for the administration, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan warned yesterday.

“By parking these amounts under unprogrammed appropriations, we are effectively giving the executive a blank check worth almost a quarter of a trillion pesos, beyond the reach of full legislative oversight,” Libanan said.

The 4Ps party-list representatives, who voted yes to House Bill 4058 (General Appropriations Bill of 2026) but “with reservations,” said keeping unprogrammed appropriations – including for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) – would give the government untrammeled control over taxpayers’ money. On Monday, the House voted 287-12 for the approval of the P6.793-trillion budget program for next year.

“I urge that unprogrammed funds for the AFP modernization and foreign-assisted projects be realigned to the programmed budget, where they can be properly scrutinized, itemized and monitored in accordance with the principles of transparency and accountability,” he said.

“Worse, a portion of the appropriated budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines would, in effect, become excess funds, allowing realignments and releases outside of congressional scrutiny,” Libanan said.

Unprogrammed appropriations, he said, stood at P251.6 billion in 2022, P807.1 billion in 2023, P731.4 billion in 2024 and P363.4 billion in 2025.

“Thus, amounting to around P2 trillion in the last four budgets. Such bloating erodes fiscal discipline and opens the door to discretion and abuse – contrary to the principles of responsible budgeting,” he said.

Reps. Robert Nazal (Bagong Henerasyon party-list), Chel Diokno (Akbayan) and Leila de Lima (party-list Mamamayang Liberal) also denounced the retention of unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 budget program.

“If we had our way, there would be no unprogrammed funds at all. If there are new or excess revenues, let us just pass a supplemental budget,” Nazal remarked, calling unprogrammed funds “a source of flexibility, perhaps too much flexibility.”

Nazal warned that special provisions allowing the Department of Budget and Management to shift funds defeat the very intent of line-item budgeting and turn unprogrammed funds into a discretionary lump sum fund.

“I cannot, in conscience, support this (2026) budget. We just left P243 billion to the executive department’s discretion, which is not even clear where it will be spent. Instead of learning our lesson on ghost projects in the past, this will not end corruption but will encourage it,” Diokno said.

“And to top it all, in the 2026 budget, the fun continues because there are still unprogrammed appropriations,” Diokno manifested before the plenary Monday.

De Lima, who is also House deputy minority leader, said unprogrammed appropriations “should not just be zero allocation, but should be a no-no.”

“The practice of having unprogrammed appropriations is tantamount to undue delegation of legislative power to the executive. Only the legislature has the power to appropriate,” the former senator and justice chief maintained.

Labor coalition NAGKAISA called the House’s approval of the budget a “betrayal of public trust” and warned that it would spark public outrage.

“Unprogrammed appropriations are like promises without paychecks – no identified funding source, source of corruption and abuse of discretion,” NAGKAISA chairman Sonny Matula said.

“These UAs are ghost budgets haunting the nation’s coffers – they should be deleted, not defended,” Matula added.

The group called on the people to reject the proposed budget and make their outrage felt. It called on the Senate to correct the House’s “sins” or face an escalation of the people’s wrath.

“The public will not forgive another budget marred by secrecy, self-interest and impunity,” Matula said.

Palace: It’s not pork barrel

Malacañang assuaged fears raised by critics that the unprogrammed funds would end up becoming “pork barrel,” a term referring to discretionary congressional allocations declared unconstitutional in 2013 by the Supreme Court.

“Let us remember that even if they fall under unprogrammed appropriations, this budget will be taken care of and they won’t be released just to become a pork barrel,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a briefing.

She maintained that such appropriations are necessary since they support disaster response efforts.

She said unprogrammed appropriations are used once funds for the disaster risk reduction and management get depleted because of the numerous calamities that hit the country.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman also defended the administration’s unprogrammed appropriations, saying they are reserves that enable the government to meet unexpected demands or pressing national priorities while staying within the fiscal program.

“Unprogrammed appropriations are not discretionary or secret funds, but standby allocations duly authorized and approved by Congress,” Pangandaman said.

“These funds can only be accessed when there are excess or windfall revenues, new revenue measures, or valid loan agreements for foreign-assisted projects,” the budget chief added.

She also said unprogrammed funds finance priority programs under normal circumstances, including the social protection programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“The DBM does not have the authority to introduce insertions into the national budget,” she pointed out.

Included in the social programs of the DSWD are aid for rice farmers, higher education subsidies, health infrastructure projects, personnel benefits, renewable energy development and modernization of national defense.

The DBM has just approved the release of P5 billion for the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program, supporting 411,188 needy Filipinos from October until the end of 2025. — Marco Luis Beech, Mayen Jaymalin, Alexis Romero