The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, keeping intact billions of pesos in unprogrammed appropriations (UA) — a move expected to spark debates once the measure reaches the Senate, which earlier signaled its plan to delete such allocations.
Out of all members present during Monday’s session, 287 lawmakers voted in favor, 12 voted against, while two abstained.
Several lawmakers who opposed the budget argued that the UA should have been removed entirely, citing past controversies involving alleged questionable flood control projects inserted under the same item.
“Madalas nagiging kumbinyenteng parkingan ang unprogrammed appropriations ng mga dapat naman ay programado’t obligado nang mga gastusin… My stand against unprogrammed appropriations is a constitutional imperative. ‘Wag lang zero, kundi no, no. U-A, go away!” declared Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Representative Leila De Lima, one of the dissenting votes.
But House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing defended the chamber’s decision, explaining that the subcommittee had already removed ₱35 billion worth of infrastructure projects from the UA. She added that contingency funding for foreign-assisted projects remains necessary and cannot be entirely scrapped.
With the House’s approval, the proposed budget now moves to the Senate, where intense deliberations are expected over the scope and purpose of unprogrammed funds — a long-standing issue in the country’s budget process.