Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the Senate will reject billions in lump-sum unprogrammed funds found in the House-approved 2026 national budget, with reports citing amounts between P80 billion and P200 billion.
Sotto emphasized that all funds should be properly allocated to relevant agencies, not lumped into unprogrammed accounts, except for necessary foreign-assisted projects.
He also supported a 20 percent budget cut for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects to prevent overpricing. He suggested transferring some infrastructure projects to local governments for better oversight.
Sotto warned against last-minute budget amendments, insisting changes must be made only during the official amendment period to ensure transparency.
Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino vowed to continue investigating flood control project anomalies and pushed for reforms, including a blockchain system to enhance budget transparency.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 20, 2025
SENATE STANDS FIRM AGAINST UNPROGRAMMED FUND SPENDING
Latest from News
Two Filipino sailors died, and one was critically injured, after the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel M/V Devon
Beep announced on January 23 that it will remove all Stored Value Updaters (SVUs) and Express
Rising fuel costs are squeezing small-scale fishers as oil price hikes push production expenses higher, the
The Department of Education clarified that students applying to science high schools in the National Capital
The Philippines’ Unified 911 Command Center will soon be upgraded with the Unified Platform for Communications