Budget can withstand legal scrutiny – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday expressed optimism that this year’s P6.793-trillion national budget would withstand legal scrutiny, after a lawmaker vowed to challenge the constitutionality of its unprogrammed appropriations.

House senior deputy minority leader and Caloocan 2nd district Rep. Edgar Erice announced a plan to bring the issue of unprogrammed appropriations (UA) before the Supreme Court, citing the need for the tribunal to determine whether budgeting without funding sources violates the Constitution.

Asked for comment, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told a press briefing that critics of the appropriations law have the right to go to court to question its provisions.

“Of course, if they file a petition, the administration would respond to it, and let’s see what will be the result and the decision of the Supreme Court,” the Palace press officer said.

She said executive officials “are confident that the budget is the cleanest, the most orderly and most well prepared and it is really for the people. So the President is confident (that it can withstand legal scrutiny).”

Some sectors had urged Malacañang and the legislature to remove the UA from the budget, saying it is prone to abuses and anomalies.

However, officials insisted that the allocations are necessary to respond to emergency situations and to bankroll unforeseen expenses.

After signing the 2026 appropriations law last Monday, Marcos disclosed that he had vetoed seven items under UA worth P92.5 billion to restore public trust in the budget process.

The seven items that were scrapped were the budgetary support to government-owned and controlled corporations (P6.895-billion); prior years’ local government units’ shares (P14.62-million); payment of personnel services requirements (P43.245-billion); budget for the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy or CARS program (P4.32-billion); budget for the Revitalizing the Automotive Industry for Competitiveness Enhancement or RACE program; insurance of government assets and interests (P2-billion) and government counterpart for certain foreign-assisted projects (P35.769-billion).

In his 14-page veto message, Marcos said he had reduced the allocations to the “bare minimum,” at a level that is lowest since 2019.

Safeguards

Responding to criticisms that the 2026 budget still contains “soft pork” funds, Senate finance committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian said adequate safeguards were put in place to deter corruption.

Gatchalian said the 2026 funding – at P51.6 billion for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patient and P63.8 billion for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations – and its branding as alleged pork barrel is a “subject of debate” and a “policy issue” for implementers.

“There are about 45,000 programs, activities and projects in the budget. Everyone can have their own viewpoints. What’s important is there is no debate as to corruption. We made sure this budget is corruption-free,” Gatchalian said at a press briefing in the Senate yesterday.

While he respected her “theory,” Gatchalian also refuted Sen. Imee Marcos’ allegation that the recently signed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) has soft pork barrel funds to bankroll the revival of the shelved impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Everyone has their own theory. But we did not talk about the impeachment, or the political side of things. We only talked about the budgetary requirements,” Gatchalian said.

Meanwhile, for the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the enactment of the P6.793-trillion national budget will boost the country’s disaster response and improve peace and order, the agency said in a statement.

Congress oversight

With the signing of the 2026 GAA, congressional oversight and public participation at all levels of budget implementation are now the main drivers to ensure responsible use of public funds, House public accounts committee chair and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said yesterday.

“We will press the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) to deliver on its commitment to live-stream all procurement activities at the national, regional and district levels, and we call on other agencies to do the same,” he said in a statement.

Ridon also vowed that the public accounts committee will closely monitor the direct implementation of school-building and farm-to-market road projects of the Department of Education and Department of Agriculture, and to partner with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure aid distributions are free from political interference.

Meanwhile, House deputy minority leader and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima backed the creation of a joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures that would monitor the 2026 national budget spending.

“It is in the best interest of Congress to make sure that the law – in this case the GAA, a most important piece of legislation – is properly and judiciously implemented,” she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos thanked President Marcos for the inclusion of nearly P255 million in the 2026 budget, which will support the city’s socialized housing program. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Emmanuel Tupas, Jose Rodel Clapano, Delon Porcalla