Senator Win Gatchalian said the Supreme Court could eventually declare the controversial Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) unconstitutional to prevent misuse of public funds.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, made the statement after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vetoed ₱92.5 billion worth of unprogrammed items in signing Republic Act No. 12314, the ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.
“Kung sasabihin talaga ng SC na unconstitutional siya wag na gawin next time. Ang sc naman always moving forward, pwedeng mangyari yun, wala nang unprogrammed,” Gatchalian said in a press conference.
He noted that since a petition questioning the constitutionality of the 2026 budget remains pending before the Supreme Court, the Executive Department may still use the UA provisions under the GAA.
“May kaso na sa SC, may pending yan sa SC, etong unprogrammed [funds]. But hangga’t wala pang resolution yan, pwedeng gamitin yang unprogrammed,” he said.
Gatchalian stressed the importance of preventing potential abuse.
“So ang importante lang ‘wag natin ipasok dun mga items na pwedeng maabuso. Yun naman ang ginagawa namin para lang hindi maabuso yung unprogrammed,” he added.