MANILA (UPDATE) – Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III maintained that the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the 2026 national budget had legal justification despite criticisms and a petition asking the Supreme Court to rule that they are illegal.
When certain conditions are met, such having funds, UA can be used as a standby fund.
Representatives Edgar Erice of Caloocan and Leila De Lima of the Mamamayang Liberal Party List petitioned the Supreme Court on Thursday to declare the UA unconstitutional.
Seven of the 10 items in the UA, totaling around P92.5 billion, were vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Program on Risk Management, the Support to Foreign-Assisted Projects, and the Revised AFP Modernization Program remained.
Sotto highlighted the need of UA, for example, in projects that receive foreign assistance.
Sotto said if the Senate is listed as a respondent in the petition, it is prepared to participate in part.
‘BAKA SAKALI’
UA is bad economics, according to Senator Erwin Tulfo, a member of the bicameral conference committee and deputy chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Tulfo believes it is unnecessary because the nation lacks the funds, with the exception of programs supported by foreigners.
Sotto replied, “Yun yung tinatawag kasi na baka sakali sa Tagalog eh… Talagang nagkakaroon ng ganoon sapagkat baka sakaling magkaroon ng pondo para doon, magagawa. Kaysa sa give up na agad, na huwag nang gawin.
Additionally, Sotto stated that it is challenging to restrict UA to projects with foreign assistance because other demands, such modern military equipment, may come up.
‘ENTITLED TO HER WRONG, ESTE, OWN OPINION’
Additionally, Sotto responded to Senator Imee Marcos’ claim that the national budget for 2026 is full of pork.
In an interview on Wednesday, Marcos asserted that ayuda programs like Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) are soft pork.
Additionally, she referred to farm-to-market highways as “hard pork.”
On Friday, Sotto said, “She is entitled to her wrong opinion, eh este, own opinion.”
ANTI-EPAL PROVISION
Sotto thinks that now would be a good moment to enact the budget’s anti-epal clause, which would forbid politicians from participating in the distribution of ayuda or aid.
Sotto claims that although the budget was designed to prevent corruption, execution is ultimately what matters. Thus, monitoring is necessary.
To examine the P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026, Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian suggested establishing a bipartisan congressional monitoring committee on public expenditures.
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