President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vetoed ₱92.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 budget, but an opposition lawmaker said he and his colleagues would take the matter to the Supreme Court (SC).
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said they were awaiting a copy of the President’s veto message and plan to file the petition at the high court this week.
“Whether it’s ₱1 or ₱100 billion, it’s still unprogrammed appropriations; it’s a question of constitutionality,” Erice told CoverStory on Monday.
Unprogrammed appropriations in any form are unconstitutional, Supreme Court Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando said in his separate opinion on the high court’s decision in December on the earlier transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s ₱60 billion in excess funds to the national treasury.
In his speech after signing the ₱6.79-trillion national budget for 2026 in Malacañang, the President said: “We acknowledge the support of Congress in limiting the unprogrammed appropriations to essential needs. However, I pushed further and reduced it to the absolute bare minimum. This shall be at the lowest since 2019.”
The national budget had ₱363.4 billion in unprogrammed funds in 2025, ₱731.4 billion in 2024, and ₱807.2 billion in 2023, according to data from the Department of Budget and Management.
In this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), Mr. Marcos retained only the Support to Foreign-Assisted Projects amounting to ₱97.30 billion; Revised AFP Modernization Program amounting to ₱50 billion; and the Program on Risk Management amounting to ₱3.6 billion.
“Let me be clear: The unprogrammed appropriations are not blank checks. We will not allow the unprogrammed appropriations to be misused or treated as a backdoor for discretionary spending,” he said.
Mr. Marcos said the use of unprogrammed funds is “provided with safeguards and is only available when clearly defined triggers and tests are met, and will be released only after careful validation.”
“My administration will enforce these safeguards without exception to serve public interest and advance our national development goals,” he said.
The budget watchdogs People’s Budget Coalition and Roundtable for Inclusive Development had urged the President in a letter to veto ₱243 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, or what they called “shadow pork” items in the 2026 budget.
In a last-minute appeal to the President on Sunday, another budget watchdog, Social Watch Philippines, also called on him to veto ₱319 billion worth of questionable items.
But Senate President Vicente Sotto III hailed the President’s decision to slash ₱92.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations.
“I know the 2026 budget is by far the cleanest ever, but it seems the President wants it squeaky clean. He even highlighted the Senate provision that prevents political patronage by politicians,” Sotto said.
Mr. Marcos said in his speech before lawmakers and Cabinet officials after the budget signing that “politicians shall be barred from the distribution of any financial aid, and we shall ensure that the support reaches the intended beneficiaries without patronage.”
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a press briefing that the prohibition is explicitly provided for in the 2026 national budget. “I’ll put it this way: It’s the first time we’ve had this kind of provision in the General Appropriations Act.”
Sen. Erwin Tulfo, vice chair of the Senate finance committee, described the 2026 GAA as the “most transparent budget law in recent history.”
Senior Citizen Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes, vice chair of the House committee on appropriations, said the President’s veto is “a good step to restore public trust in the government.” CS
