The Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc) of the House Committee on Appropriations has trimmed several allocations under the unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.
Committee chair and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mikaela Suansing confirmed that funding for local infrastructure projects will no longer come from the ₱80.86-billion Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs (SAGIP) fund.
According to Suansing, the SAGIP fund has been reduced to ₱45 billion and repurposed solely for foreign-assisted projects, now renamed as the Strengthening Assistance for Government Programs (SAGP).
“Ang nangyari po ng mga nakaraan ay bumatak po galing sa SAGP to fund infrastructure projects. Some of which are flood control projects. So tinitingnan po natin ano po ‘yung puwede natin gawin. Para sa 2026 at sa mga susunod na taon, wala na po ‘yung ganoon. Ibig sabihin, hindi na po makakabatak ng infrastructure projects from SAGP,” Suansing explained.
The BARSc also removed ₱6.7 billion in allocations for public health emergency allowances from the unprogrammed funds, following the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) recommendation.
“The suggestion of the DBM is to remove it already… Kasi nabayaran na po lahat as of 2025,” she added.
Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), unprogrammed appropriations — which may be utilized only when there are excess revenue collections or foreign grants and loans — amount to ₱250 billion.
Previously, the unprogrammed fund covered ₱80.86 billion for SAGIP, ₱97.3 billion for foreign-assisted projects, ₱50 billion for the revised military modernization program, and ₱6.7 billion for health emergency allowances.
Earlier, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III expressed his intention to scrap all unprogrammed funds from the 2026 national budget, a move that has since gained support from several opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives.