Budget law bars ‘epal’ politicians
Politicians, derogatorily called “epal” for falsely claiming or suggesting they are responsible for government aid, are prohibited from getting involved in the distribution of government cash aid, acting Secretary Rolly Toledo of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Saturday.
In a radio interview, Toledo said Republic Act No. 12314, or the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) amounting to P6.793 trillion, explicitly bars political involvement in the distribution of cash and other forms of government aid.
Citing Section 19 of RA 12314, he said all cash assistance and other forms of financial aid would be distributed “exclusively by authorized government officers and personnel or accredited partners.”
Explicit ban
“No public officials holding elective positions, electoral candidates, politicians, political partners, or any of their representatives, except for officials having direct administrative and executive authority over the implementing agency, shall influence, be present in, participate in, or take part in the actual distribution of any cash assistance and other forms of financial aid,” the provision read.
Section 20 of the law also forbids the display and affixing of the name, picture, image, motto, logo, color motif, initials or other symbol or graphic representation associated with any public official, whether elected or appointed, on signboards for all government programs, activities and projects.
Toledo said the programs covered by the provision include the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s services for individuals and families in difficult circumstances, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation Program.
Similar government financial assistance programs are the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program and the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients.
Toledo also maintained that the government’s Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) serve as a “safety net” and not as a “politician fund.”
Disciplined spending
“It is clear that unprogrammed appropriations are not bad [per se]. What is wrong is when there is abuse and lack of discipline in using it,” he said, stressing that the law allows the executive branch, with the consent of Congress, fund programs not covered by Programmed Appropriations.
“So again, unprogrammed appropriations are not blank checks. It is not pork barrel. It is not a political fund. It is a safety net.”
He said the DBM would still evaluate requests for UA funds and they would not be disbursed absent additional revenues or perfected loans and contracts and the appropriate documentation from a requesting agency.
President Marcos himself, as a “measured exercise of Executive authority to rebuild public trust in the budget process,” slashed P92.5 billion in UA in the 2026 GAA, its lowest level since 2019.
