Palace vows proper use of 2026 budget amid unprogrammed fund concerns

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will make sure that next year’s budget will be used properly in response to concerns of some lawmakers that unprogrammed appropriations - the source of multibillion-peso flood control kickbacks - still exist in the appropriations bill, a Palace press officer said on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Minority members of the House of Representatives voted against the unprogrammed funds, which, they said, may become the president’s pork barrel.

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The Supreme Court has declared pork barrel funds as unconstitutional, an offshoot of the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scandal more than a decade ago.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the administration, specifically the Department of Budget and Management, views unprogrammed appropriations as necessary. Unprogrammed funds are standby appropriations when excess revenue is generated to fund pending budget items.

She said the national government can tap unprogrammed appropriations for the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure Program in case the calamity fund and the president’s contingent fund are depleted amid back-to-back disasters.

“Kahit ito ay nasa unprogrammed appropriations, iingatan ang budget na ito at hindi naman agad mailalabas para katakutan nila at sasabihin magiging pork barrel lamang,” the Palace official said in a briefing.

[Translation: Even if it is unprogrammed appropriations, the budget allocation will be carefully used and will not be easily released so as not to fuel concerns that this will be pork barrel.]

“Mas lalong pag-iingatan ng pangulo ang budget na ito para mas maging maganda at hindi malustay ang pera kung saan-saan,” she said, taking note of the ongoing investigation on flood control project anomalies.

[Translation: The president will take care of the budget for proper utilization and will not be wasted.]

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman also said that unprogrammed appropriations are not “secret funds” but standby allocations authorized and approved by Congress.

“These funds can only be accessed when there are excess or windfall revenues, new revenue measures, or valid loan agreements for foreign-assisted projects,” she said in a statement.

The House-approved budget bill set aside over P240 billion for unprogrammed appropriations.

Castro said the president and the Budget Department will review the 2026 budget bill after the Senate ends its deliberations.

The House and the Senate will convene a bicameral conference committee to reconcile differences in their versions of the measure.

Marcos said in his last State of the Nation Address that he will reject a spending plan that is not aligned with the administration’s programs.