Lacson: Senate to delete ₱42-B ‘ayuda’ from 2026 budget

National

SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has vowed that the Senate will strike out ₱42 billion in “ayuda” funds from the unprogrammed appropriations of the proposed 2026 national budget, warning against the continued misuse of standby funds that lack guaranteed financing.

Speaking in a radio interview Tuesday, Lacson said the Senate will only retain unprogrammed funds for foreign-assisted projects, stressing that social assistance programs should be part of the regular budget.

“The House left some ₱42 billion in the unprogrammed appropriations for ayuda, and we will remove it,” Lacson said in an Inquirer.net report. “Ayuda funds must not be parked in standby appropriations—they should be transparent and properly itemized.”

The senator said most members of the Senate majority bloc, including Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Finance Committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian, share his position.

“We expect a long discussion in the bicameral conference committee, but we are united that social aid should not be hidden under unprogrammed appropriations,” Lacson added.

The House of Representatives earlier passed the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget on final reading on October 13 before its monthlong recess.

While the measure set a record ₱1.28 trillion allocation for the education sector, minority lawmakers criticized the retention of ₱249 billion in unprogrammed appropriations—funds that can only be tapped if new loans or revenues are secured.

Civil society watchdogs have long called for the abolition of these unprogrammed funds, citing their vulnerability to abuse.

Critics alleged that such allocations have been used as “pork barrel” resources to finance politically motivated projects under the guise of social assistance.

Lacson also bared that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had reallocated at least ₱50 billion in unprogrammed funds from the 2024 budget for infrastructure projects, including ₱30 billion for flood control.

“DPWH officials have become too comfortable funding projects that violate the master plan,” he said, warning that this culture of fund manipulation has reached alarming levels.

The Senate is expected to begin its own deliberations on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill next week, with the fate of the controversial ₱42-billion ayuda allocation among the most contentious issues on the table.(Xienderlyn Trinidad, USJ-R Comm Intern)