Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 13) – Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III sees another ground to question the 2024 national budget in the Supreme Court.
In a chance interview with reporters on Wednesday, Pimentel said the ₱450 billion increase made by the bicameral conference committee to the unprogrammed appropriations is “unconstitutional.”
“Ang sabi ng Constitution natin (According to our Constitution), Congress may approve the appropriations proposed by the President for the operation of the government but it cannot increase the appropriations,” Pimentel said.
He was referring to Article 6, Section 25 of the 1987 Constitution, which states, “The Congress may not increase the appropriations recommended by the President for the operation of the Government as specified in the budget. The form, content, and manner of preparation of the budget shall be prescribed by law.”
Pimentel said the National Expenditure Program from the executive pegged the unprogrammed appropriations at only P281.9 billion, but the bicameral committee, which settled differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill, “bloated” the amount to P731.4 billion.
The result is an almost ₱6 trillion budget, instead of the original proposal of only ₱5.768 trillion, Pimentel said.
“Unconstitutional,” he said, adding it can be challenged in the Supreme Court.
He said the same flaw also happened with the 2023 budget.
“Itong 2023 tinawag ko na itong first ₱6 trillion budget… I-add ninyo si unprogrammed, ₱6 trillion. So, actually 2024 will be the second ₱6 trillion budget,” he said.
[Translation: I earlier called the 2023 budget the first ₱6 trillion budget… If you add the unprogrammed appropriations, the amount is ₱6 trillion. So, actually 2024 will be the second ₱6 trillion budget.]
He called on lawyers who are “up to the challenge” to file the Supreme Court petition.
The minority lawmaker earlier flagged as unconstitutional the allocation of a ₱2.3 billion intelligence fund to the Office of the President, and urgent the presidential certification of the national spending plan.
