Following the third and final reading of the P6.793-trillion General Appropriation Bill at the House of Representatives last Monday, Malacañang vowed to cleanse the 2026 national budget of any illegal provisions, including ‘unconstitutional pork.’
It noted that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will initiate an extensive review of the proposed national budget next year as soon as the Senate also completes its counterpart GAB.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the assurance after lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc from the House expressed concern that the GAB still contained P243-billion worth of unprogrammed appropriations, which they consider as ‘presidential pork.’
For his part, Caloocan Rep. Edgard R. Erice said the unprogrammed appropriations may have violated the provisions of the constitution due to its supposed lack of funding source.
In 2013, the Supreme Court issued the landmark ruling on Belgica vs Ochoa, where it declared that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel during the administration of former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III as unconstitutional for granting lawmakers discretion in the use of public funds.
Citing the DBM, Castro noted that the unprogrammed funds are not the same pork barrel since it is not discretionary.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) defines unprogrammed appropriations as funds, which can be used with the necessary approval, for priority programs or projects and be sourced from excess government revenue collections or grants or foreign funds.
‘So let’s remember, even though this is in the unprogrammed appropriations, this budget will be protected and will not be released immediately so that they will be afraid [of misusing it] and say it will just be a pork barrel,’ she added. Castro said.
Last week, the Palace official said the government cannot phaseout unprogrammed funds as demanded by some lawmakers since it is used by the government for its emergency response.
Castro said the DBM will ensure that all provisions of the proposed 2026 budget will be aligned with the priorities of the administration.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July, Marcos said he is ready to veto the national budget next year if it will not be aligned with the said priorities.
‘We will ask the President himself regarding such an issue, as well as the DBM,’ Castro said.
‘If there is something that really doesn’t match the wishes of this administration, it will probably veto whatever needs to be vetoed,’ she added. (Samuel Medenilla)