Lawmakers praise President’s action on nat’l budget, vow oversight
Lawmakers welcomed President Marcos’ move to veto P92.5 billion worth of projects under unprogrammed appropriations (UAs), saying it was part of the government’s effort to make the 2026 national budget “squeaky clean.”
“I know the 2026 budget is by far the cleanest ever, but it seems the President wants it squeaky clean. He even highlighted the Senate provision that prevents political patronage by politicians,” said Senate President Vicente Sotto III when asked to comment on the vetoed unprogrammed funds.
“Yes, he is correct,” the Senate leader also said when asked if the President did the right thing. “Anyway, that is one of the contentious issues where, sometimes in legislation, you have to give way. The budget is clean but PBBM (President Marcos) wants it cleaner.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Faustino Dy III said the House of Representatives will observe “strict oversight” on the budget.
“Congress will make sure every peso is spent exactly as approved,” he said.
“This reflects the President’s clear direction that public funds must be used responsibly and felt by the people,” the House leader added. “There will be zero tolerance for corruption. No leakages, no shortcuts, and no excuses. The people’s money should be used for the people.”
‘Government support’
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he was also satisfied with the President’s move to veto nonessential funds under UAs—as well as the prohibition of political involvement in the distribution of “ayuda” (aid)—in the newly signed 2026 General Appropriations Act (Republic Act No. 12314).
But Lacson also noted two of the items that survived the veto—government support for some foreign-assisted projects and the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program—are needed for economic development and national security.
“We need these items as our commitments to our economic development and national security,” he said of these items which he sought to retain during budget deliberations last December, even as he pushed for further trimming the UAs.
“P150.905 billion is the exact amount that survived the veto, of which, P97.3 billion for Government Support to Foreign-Assisted Projects (FAPs), P3.6 billion for Program on Risk Management, and P50 billion for the revised AFP Modernization Program. All other seven items under UA were vetoed,” Lacson said.
He also pointed out that the inclusion of P35.769 billion for “Government of the Philippines counterpart of Foreign-Assisted Projects” in the list of vetoed items is fine with him because it “could be a duplication” of the support to FAP.
‘Most transparent’
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who shepherded the budget legislation as chair of the Senate finance committee, said he respected the President’s constitutional authority to veto certain provisions of the 2026 national budget.
“I would like to highlight that the P80-billion Sagip (Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Program) under the unprogrammed appropriations had already been removed by the Senate. The UA contains many components, and Sagip has been identified as a source of abuse and corruption, particularly in flood control projects,” he said.
“In other words, lumpsum funds for projects such as flood control were often parked under Sagip, which the Senate had long eliminated. In 2024, flood control funds under Sagip amounted to P86.93 billion,” Gatchalian added.
He also noted that there was no direct veto under the programmed appropriations.
“Moreover, five of the seven items vetoed under the UA were originally part of the National Expenditure Program, or the President’s budget, which Congress merely acted on and refined,” he said.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo also welcomed the President’s move to limit the use of UAs. “We believe this is the most transparent budget law in the recent history … [T]his is what we need, a budget that will restore the public’s trust to the government,” said the vice chair of the Senate committee on finance.
