Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joel Villanueva voted “no” on the 2026 national budget, citing the presence of unprogrammed appropriations allegedly used for “ghost projects.”
“Just for the record, I vote no as of today, for the reason I mentioned a while ago, game changer budget, it doesn’t promote rural development, the unprogrammed funds are still there,” Cayetano said.
Before its approval on second reading, the minority bloc attempted to block the bill as they sought detailed amendments to the national budget.
The minority also requested specifics on funding for key projects such as the Mindanao Railway, but were only provided with a summary.
Earlier, Senate President Tito Sotto said the second reading of the budget was delayed due to difficulties in incorporating amendments from individual senators.
The Senate plenary eventually approved the 2026 General Appropriations Bill on second reading, amounting to ₱6.793 trillion.