The 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) prohibits politicians from participating in the distribution of cash and financial assistance, Budget Acting Secretary Rolly Toledo said on Saturday.
In a radio interview, Toledo explained that Republic Act (RA) 12314, which enacts the ₱6.793 trillion national budget, contains a special provision ensuring that all aid distribution is conducted “exclusively by authorized government officers and personnel or accredited partners.”
“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.
The policy covers programs such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients Programs (MAIFIP).
Toledo added that political signage, branding, paraphernalia, or activities are also prohibited in distribution areas.
“So, napaka-ano po nito, kumbaga safeguard ang pagbabawal sa mga politiko o mag-issue ng pagbabawal ng pagsama ng ating mga politiko dito,” he said.
The law requires implementing agencies to adopt protocols and reporting mechanisms to enforce compliance and mandates the Joint Congressional Committee on Public Expenditures to monitor adherence.
Section 20 of the 2026 GAA also forbids the use of any official’s name, image, logo, or color motif in all government programs, activities, and projects.