House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III clarified the importance of unprogrammed funds, saying these allocations are necessary to help the government respond to unforeseen situations in the future.
In an interview with True FM on Wednesday, October 15, Dy explained that while lawmakers prefer having all expenses under programmed allocations, unprogrammed funds are sometimes unavoidable.
“Gusto namin, lahat nga nasa programmed na, e, bakit hindi para mas malinaw?” he began. “Pero hindi namin maiwasan ‘yong unprogrammed [funds] kasi ito ‘yong mga hindi natin inaasahan kung mag-e-exceed ba tayo sa income na inaasahan natin for next year […]”
Dy added that several pending and ongoing projects—particularly those under the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and foreign-assisted programs—contribute to the need for unprogrammed funds.
“May mga nakabinbin kasi tayo. Katulad ng [mga] hindi pa tapos, like ‘yong approval ng NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority]. Mayroon tayong mga parating na proyekto galing sa World Bank o Asia Development Bank na kung saan [ay] hindi pa tapos ‘yong bicameral agreement natin,” the House Speaker explained.
He further noted that today’s unprogrammed funds differ from those in the past, as most are now allocated to specific agencies rather than lump-sum amounts.
“So doon pa lang, mayroon na tayong tinatawag na unprogrammed. Pero ngayon, ‘yong mga unprogrammed natin, unlike noong araw, talagang malaki ‘yong lump-sum,” Dy said.
Dy cited the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Program as one of the few remaining lump-sum allocations, emphasizing that it remains unitemized due to ongoing identification of beneficiaries.
“Ngayon kasi, nakalaan sa mga iba’t iba nating department. Ang nakaka-lump-sum lang, actually, ‘yong nasa Marawi, Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Program. Doon lang naka-lump-sum kasi hindi pa po natin ma-identified ‘yong mga qualified beneficiaries […]” he concluded.
Dy’s remarks come amid ongoing public and legislative scrutiny of unprogrammed funds in the 2026 national budget, which some critics have linked to concerns over fiscal transparency and spending priorities.