Metro Manila, Philippines – House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said unprogrammed appropriations should be removed entirely from the proposed 2026 national budget, citing constitutional and corruption concerns.
De Lima said items listed without guaranteed funding violate the principle that Congress alone has the power to appropriate public funds.
“Unprogrammed appropriations have no place in the budget,” she said, adding that a budget item should not exist without a clear source of financing.
Her statement comes as lawmakers debate the size of unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 spending plan. The Department of Budget and Management initially proposed P249.9 billion in unprogrammed funds.
Unprogrammed appropriations are standby allocations that may be released only if new or excess revenues or foreign financing become available.
De Lima said the mechanism effectively allows the executive branch to decide later which projects receive funding, which she said could amount to an undue delegation of legislative power.
Congress has moved to reduce, but not eliminate, the allocation. The House of Representatives approved P243 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, while the Senate cut the amount further to P174.56 billion.
Despite the reductions, De Lima said the continued inclusion of unprogrammed funds remains a concern, citing past reports linking them to questionable infrastructure and flood control projects.
Unprogrammed appropriations increased sharply at the start of the Marcos administration, reaching P807.16 billion in the 2023 budget, before declining in subsequent years.
The final amount of unprogrammed funds for 2026 will be determined by the bicameral conference committee.
