National

PBBM VETOES P92.5B UNPROGRAMMED APPROPRIATIONS IN 2026 NATIONAL BUDGET

admin January 6, 2026

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday announced his decision to veto several items under Unprogrammed Appropriations (UAs) totaling nearly P92.5 billion in the 2026 national budget approved by Congress.

Speaking at the signing of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) amounting to P6.793 trillion, President Marcos emphasized the UAs must be used only under clearly defined conditions, with safeguards in place to prevent misuse.

“To ensure that public funds are expended in clear service of national interests, I vetoed several items of appropriations with their purposes and corresponding Special Provisions under the UA, totaling almost P92.5 billion,” the President said.

Acknowledging Congress’s support in limiting the UA to essential needs, President Marcos said he further reduced this to the bare minimum, which shall be at a level that is the lowest since 2019.

“Let me be clear: the Unprogrammed Appropriations are not blank checks. We will not allow the Unprogrammed Appropriations to be misused or treated as a backdoor for discretionary spending,” the President said.

The Chief Executive said the UA “utilization is provided with safeguards and is only available when clearly defined triggers and tests are met and will be released only after careful validation.”

According to the President, the safeguards will be enforced “without exception” to serve the public interest and advance the country’s national development goals.

“We will make releases charged from the UA transparent, providing the necessary details on the funding source and the corresponding purpose,” the President added.

President Marcos directed all concerned agencies and departments of the national government to exercise “prudent fiscal management to ensure uninterrupted quality public service.”

“Sa aking mga kababayan, dama po namin ang inyong agam-agam at pangamba sa nakaraang budget. Kaisa ninyo ako sa pagnanais na masigurong ang bawat pisong buwis ay napupunta sa tamang proyekto at sa tunay na pangangailangan ng ating taumbayan,” the President emphasized.

“Naririnig namin po kayo,” the President added.