House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice will question the constitutionality of the 2026 national budget before the Supreme Court as it contained unprogrammed appropriations.
Erice, in an online interview Monday, said the petition is now being drafted.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. just signed the 2026 budget earlier in the day, with the P92.5 billion of the P243 billion unprogrammed appropriations vetoed.
“Pinag-aaralan pa lang namin pero just the same, ang aking position, all unprogrammed funds in any form are unconstitutional. So I will have to challenge it before the Supreme Court,” Erice said.
(We are studying it further but just the same, my position [is that] all unprogrammed funds in any form are unconstitutional. So I will have to challenge it before the Supreme Court.)
The lawmaker said he will secure a copy of the budget that the president signed.
“We’re already drafting the petition. Mahalaga ring matuldukan na ito, ma-define na talaga ng Korte Suprema kung talaga bang ang ganitong uri ng pagba-budget na walang katapat na source of financing ay labag sa ating Konstitusyon,” Erice explained.
(We’re drafting the petition. It’s important to put an end to this, that the Supreme Court defines it this kind of budgeting without source of funding violates the Constitution.)
“Maliwanag naman sa PhilHealth cecision ni (Associate Justice Ramon Paul) Hernando, siya nagsabi na all forms of unprogrammed appropriations are unconstitutional. So we will have to, we have no choice but to question it,” he added.
(It’s clear in the PhilHealth decision … it is stated there that all forms of unprogrammed appropriations are unconstitutional. So we will have to, we have no choice but to question it.)
In a separate online interview, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste said the government should strive to lower its spending this year.
“The theme for 2026 should be that we should tighten our belts and find ways to lower government spending because we cannot afford to continue to spend as much as we do now, more than we did before as a percentage of GDP,” Leviste said.
“And even if the national budget has just been passed, the budget is the maximum of what can be spent. But it would be good if government agencies find ways to spend less than their budget so that the savings can be returned to the national treasury,” he added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
