Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1767936279429viber_image_2026-01-05_12-38-29_cropped_processed_by_imagy (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañang on Monday, January 5, 2026. The national budget, enacted as Republic Act No. 12314, amounts to Php6.793 trillion. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool<br/></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATE) </strong>— Despite criticisms and a petition asking the Supreme Court to declare the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the 2026 national budget unconstitutional, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III maintained that this has basis in the law.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/8/2-lawmakers-file-sc-petition-to-declare-2026-unprogrammed-funds-unconstitutional-1120">2 lawmakers file SC petition to declare 2026 unprogrammed funds unconstitutional</a></div><p>UA is a standby fund that can be tapped when certain conditions are met such as having savings.</p><p>Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice and Mamamayang Liberal Party List Representative Leila De Lima filed a petition against the UA before the Supreme Court on Thursday, asking it to be declared unconstitutional.</p><p>“Actually unprogrammed appropriations are constitutionally valid based on previous Supreme Court decisions. It&#x27;s a standby appropriation kasi that may only be released upon the occurrence of clear financial or fiscal conditions and subject to strict validation yan, may control mechanisms pa yan. At hindi naman pwede yan kung walang pondo,&quot; according to Sotto on Friday.</p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed seven out of 10 items in the UA worth nearly P92.5 billion. What were left were the Support to Foreign-Assisted Projects, Program on Risk Management, and Revised AFP Modernization Program.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/5/marcos-vetoes-nearly-p92-5-b-worth-of-unprogrammed-appropriations-for-2026-1039">Marcos vetoes nearly P92.5-B worth of unprogrammed appropriations for 2026</a></div><p>Sotto highlighted the need for UA, such as in the case of foreign-assisted projects.</p><p>“May mga public-private partnership tayo. Paano natin mabubuo yan, mga subway na yan at kung ano-anong ganyan kung tayo lang? Wala tayong pera para doon,” Sotto said.</p><p>“Naka-unprogrammed yun sapagkat kung meron lang tayong pera at saka pwede yan... May nagku-question pa rin unprogrammed. As I said baka nitpicking na yan pagka ganyan,” he added. “Ang tingin ko the Supreme Court will uphold the budget.”</p><p>Sotto said the Senate is ready to participate in case it is named as a respondent in the petition.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;BAKA SAKALI&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1767938357404viber_image_2026-01-05_12-38-27_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañang on Monday, January 5, 2026. The national budget, enacted as Republic Act No. 12314, amounts to Php6.793 trillion. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool<br id="isPasted"/></span></span></span></div><p>Senator Erwin Tulfo, a vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and member of the bicameral conference committee, previously said that having UA is bad economics. </p><p>Tulfo believes it is not needed, except for foreign-assisted projects, since the country does not have funding for it.</p><p>In response, Sotto said: “Yun yung tinatawag kasi na baka sakali sa Tagalog eh... Time and again talagang nagkakaroon ng ganoon sapagkat baka sakaling magkaroon ng pondo para doon, magagawa. Kaysa sa give up na agad, na huwag nang gawin.”</p><p>“Talagang part ng budget yan sapagkat hindi ganoon kadaling i-predict ang income ng gobyerno,” he added. </p><p>“Madaling sabihin yung alisin ang unprogrammed. Saan natin ilalagay kapag nagkaroon bigla?”</p><p>Sotto also said it is difficult to limit UA to foreign-assisted projects because there are other needs that may come up such as modern equipment for the military.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;ENTITLED TO HER WRONG, ESTE, OWN OPINION’</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176793842650620260105-marcos-gaa-signing-PPA36.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañang on Monday, January 5, 2026. The national budget, enacted as Republic Act No. 12314, amounts to Php6.793 trillion. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool<br id="isPasted"/></span></span></span></strong><div><br/></div><p>Sotto also clapped back on the allegation of Senator Imee Marcos that the 2026 national budget is laden with pork.</p><p>Marcos, in an interview on Wednesday, claimed that ayuda programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program are soft pork.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/8/tulfo-denies-imee-s-claim-of-limited-questioning-in-flood-control-hearings-1828">Tulfo denies Imee’s claim of limited questioning in flood control hearings</a></div><p>She also called farm-to-market roads as hard pork.</p><p>“She is entitled to her wrong opinion, eh este, own opinion,” Sotto remarked on Friday.</p><p>“Pangalawa, mayroon ngang particular provision na inilagay si Senator Lacson eh at diniinan pa ni President Marcos na hindi puwedeng makialam ang mga politiko. So papaanong naging pork yun? Ang pork is yung lump sum na i-di-designate ng isang legislator sa kahit saan at nakikialam siya or hindi man nakikialam, mas malala, pumoporsiyento siya o kumikita siya doon. Yun ang pork.”</p><p>“Paanong naging pork yung gusto mong magkaroon ng medical assistance sa mga private hospitals kasi hindi kasya sa mga government hospitals ang mga kababayan natin? Paanong naging pork yun?” he asked.  </p><p>Marcos also previously claimed that the alleged pork could be used to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte. </p><p>Sotto denied this.</p><p>“No, I don&#x27;t think so. It&#x27;s not possible. Her accusations are unfair and baseless. Di, di ko maintindihan kung papaano mangyayari, papaano ida-dangle eh hindi na nga puwedeng makialam ang mga politiko,” Sotto said.</p><p>He added that impeachment was not mentioned in the crafting of the budget and that the only time the vice president was brought up was when the funding for her office was being discussed.</p><p>“Ewan ko masyadong nagiging ano siguro yung iba, naging paranoid,” Sotto said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ANTI-EPAL PROVISION </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Sotto thinks it might be a good time to pass into law the anti-epal provision in the budget that will prohibit politicians from taking part in the distribution of financial aid or ayuda.</p><p>“Kung dapat ulit-ulitin next year, aba’y mas mabuti pa gawin na nating batas yun na yung mga ganoon, hindi puwedeng pumapel ang isang politiko. Para mawala na yung bintang ng patronage politics,” he said.  </p><p>According to Sotto, they crafted the budget in such a way that there will be no source of corruption, but it will all boil down to execution. Hence, the need for oversight.</p><p>Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian had proposed the creation of a joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures to scrutinize the spending of the P6.793 trillion 2026 national budget.</p><p>“Ico-convene niya kaagad eh yung oversight committee, ico-convene niya kaagad. At halos every month yan mag-ooversight meeting sila. Para ika nga eh makikitang mabuti yung execution nung batas,” Sotto said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I5ti0zLQhEs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eB20WtAAQME?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PmLavrTKsDo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III highlighted the need for unprogrammed appropriations, such as in the case of foreign-assisted projects.</p>

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III highlighted the need for unprogrammed appropriations, such as in the case of foreign-assisted projects.

Unprogrammed appropriations are constitutional — Sotto

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Unprogrammed appropriations are constitutional — Sotto

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 09, 2026 01:30 PM PHT

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Updated January 09, 2026 02:01 PM PHT

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tito sotto

unprogrammed appropriations

2026 national budget

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