The Senate will remove the ₱42-billion allocation for social assistance or “ayuda” programs from the unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed 2026 national budget, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, October 28.
Lacson explained that the Senate intends to keep only those unprogrammed appropriations tied to foreign-assisted projects.
“The House (of Representatives) left some ₱42 billion in the unprogrammed appropriations for ayuda, and we will remove it,” said Lacson.
“We expect a long discussion in the bicameral conference committee but we senators agreed that ayuda funds cannot be in the unprogrammed appropriations. They should be in the regular budget,” he added.
Lacson said he stands firm with most members of the Senate Majority Bloc, including Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senator Win Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.
He also commended Gatchalian for effectively leading the budget deliberations, emphasizing his push for transparency and accountability in the allocation process.
On Monday, October 27, Gatchalian proposed a more detailed line-item budget for 2026 to ensure greater granularity and minimize discretion that could open opportunities for corruption.
“There should be no room for discretion when it comes to the budget. Once the budget is approved, it should be implemented properly,” said Gatchalian.
“That’s what we are doing right now—providing details so there would be no room for corrupt officials to play with generic titles,” he added.