NUP dissatified with Dy, eyes leaving House majority over non-release of funds

The National Unity Party (NUP), led by its chairman Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno of Antipolo City, is considering leaving the over 200-strong majority bloc in the House of Representatives amid growing dissatisfaction with the leadership of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.

Puno said that Dy has yet to act on the non-release of infrastructure and social protection funds for their respective districts under the national budget, saying all of such releases are tagged for later release.

“Lahat ng public works projects pala ngayon are for later release or  FLR. So walang pondo para sa mga regions at districts ng para i-bid out 'yung mga projects. We were told that the projects should be bid out first and if there is a winning bid, then that is the time for the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) to issue a SARO (Special Allotment Release Order) to the corresponding district and the regional director [of the Department of Public Works and Highways],” he said.

“Si Bojie, bata pa ‘yan, magkaibigan na kami. I am an avid fan of the Dy family. But he's not doing what he's supposed to do.  Hindi ko na [dapat] kailangang i-raise ‘yan [for later release] eh. Kaya nga sila nasa posisyon, dapat alam na nila 'yan eh. Tingin ko alam na nila, hindi lang kinwento sa amin. ‘Yan ang medyo nakakalungkot. We are ready to talk with them anytime, if they have a solution. Pero kung magchichikahan lang kami roon na wala naman pupuntahan, hindi bale na. Kaya nga nag-iisip kami punta sa minority eh,” he added.

(I have been friends with the Speaker since he was young, and he should know these things. He is the one who should be raising this concern. Maybe he knows about it already, and we weren't just informed. It is sad. If we are going to meet for chit chats with no solution on the table, then no, thanks. That is why we are considering joining the Minority bloc instead.)

Puno then said that their constituents should not suffer since they are not the ones to blame for the flood control mess.

"Nothing is moving on the construction [of projects] in the country. For the life of me, I cannot understand this policy. If your [tax] collections went down by 30%, you reduce the budget of agencies by 30%. But to declare everything for later release and bringing everything to zero, at the very least, is improper and repudiation of laws passed relative to the budget,” he said.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Speaker's camp for comment and will update the story as soon as it is available. 

During the same press conference, Puno denied allegations that NUP is coddling Vice President Sara Duterte and her family.

Puno made the position amid the flak that the party got when it said that it will not back a weak impeachment complaint against the Vice President, although he did not disclose who are those who identified NUP as Duterte coddlers.

“This started with [Manila] Congressman [Rolando] Valeriano. When the [House] inquiry happened [on the Vice President’s budget use], Congressman Abante and Acop were very visible, and they are NUP members. I’m just saying, we cannot be accused of codding the Dutertes,” Puno said, referring to Manila Sixth District Rep. Benny Abante and then Antipolo Second District Rep. Romeo Acop.

It was also Valeriano’s privilege speech that triggered the 2024 House inquiry on the budget use of the Vice President, including confidential funds of which P73 million were issued Notice of Disallowance by the Commission on Audit (COA).

“We will look at the evidence. If the evidence is strong, we will support the impeachment.  If not, we won’t [support it]. Mali bang magsabi na dapat matibay ang kaso para hindi na itapon sa Senado?” Puno pointed out.

He was referring to the 2025 impeachment case leveled against the Vice President. It was, however, archived by the Senate.

The February 2025 impeachment case was endorsed by at least 200 House members or way more than the one-third Constitutional requirement for the Senate to proceed immediately with the impeachment trial.

In July 2025, the Supreme Court declared the impeachment case against the Vice President as unconstitutional.  This decision was upheld by the High Court in January 2026.

These Supreme Court decisions , however, did not rule on the merits of the impeachment allegations against the Vice President. —AOL, GMA Integrated News