SP Sotto: Unprogrammed funds are constitutional 

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto on Friday maintained that the unprogrammed appropriations in the national budget could be considered “constitutionally valid,” based on previous Supreme Court decisions. 

This came after Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice and Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila De Lima asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 national budget.

“Actually, unprogrammed appropriations are constitutionally valid, based on previous Supreme Court decisions. It's a standby appropriation kasi that may only be released upon the occurrence of clear financial or fiscal condition…and subject to strict validation,” Sotto said in a Zoom interview with reporters. 

“May control mechanisms pa ‘yan, at hindi naman pwede ‘yan kung walang pondo. Kaya nga sa unprogrammed nilalagay eh,” he added. 

(There are control mechanisms in place and it could not be used without funds. That is why it is placed in the unprogrammed appropriations.)

In a 41-page petition, Erice and De Lima asked the High Court to declare that the inclusion of the unprogrammed appropriations was committed with grave abuse of discretion amounting to a lack or excess of jurisdiction.

The two lawmakers also asked the SC to declare null and void Section XLIII of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for being repugnant to the Constitution.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Monday, January 5, signed into law the 2026 GAA, which outlines the P6.793-trillion budget for the current fiscal year. 

The President had vetoed nearly P92.5-billion worth of line items under the unprogrammed appropriations under the 2026 GAA. He said the unprogrammed funds this year were reduced to its “absolute bare minimum,” or at the level lowest since 2019, to ensure that public funds are expended in clear service of national interests.

No corruption?

Sotto also stood firm that Congress has done its part to ensure that the 2026 budget will not be a source of corruption. He said that it is now up to the Executive to follow suit through the implementation of the programs and projects. 

“We crafted it such that ganon ang makikita natin doon sa preparation. Magkakatalo sa execution. Pero ‘yung lahat ng possibility na maging pork or maging corrupt ay finlag namin,” he said. 

(We crafted the budget the way that you see during the preparation. It now depends on the execution. But we already flagged all the possibilities of the budget being a pork or being corrupt.) 

“As much as possible, in the 2026 budget, we avoided the possibility of corruption being done,” he added. 

A joint oversight committee with members coming from both chambers of Congress is set to be activated for the first time to closely monitor the implementation of government projects funded by the 2026 national budget. 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said that the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures will be composed of panel vice chairpersons from the Senate and House of Representatives.—LDF, GMA Integrated News