Malacañang has rejected Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno’s call for a zero allocation for unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the proposed 2026 national budget.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Diokno’s proposal seems impossible to implement.
According to Castro, the government has numerous programs, and the UA funds are necessary to address emergencies and other urgent situations.
She added that the funds under unprogrammed appropriations are not spent indiscriminately.
Even if the funds are included under UA, she clarified, they cannot be accessed without proper documentation.
It can be recalled that in his privilege speech before the House of Representatives, Diokno expressed concern over the growing amount of UA, warning that the Akbayan party-list would not allow it to become a “milking cow” for depleting public funds.
(PHOTO COURTESY: SCREENGRAB FROM RTVM)
