“I respect the President’s constitutional authority to veto certain provisions of the 2026 national budget. I would like to highlight that the ₱80-billion SAGIP under the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) had already been removed by the Senate. The UA contains many components, and SAGIP has been identified as a source of abuse and corruption, particularly in flood control projects. In other words, lump-sum funds for projects such as flood control were often parked under SAGIP, which the Senate had long eliminated. In 2024, flood control funds under SAGIP amounted to ₱86.93 billion.

At the same time, it must be underscored that there was no direct veto under the Programmed Appropriations. Moreover, five of the seven items vetoed under the UA were originally part of the National Expenditure Program (NEP), or the President’s Budget, which Congress merely acted on and refined.

I also wish to clarify that the inclusion of the RACE Program in the UA is for book-entry purposes only. Similar to the CARS Program, it is a non-cash item that merely provides the legal basis for the DTI–BOI to issue tax payment certificates. Walang aktwal na pondong inilalabas dito.

Moving forward, we will closely monitor and coordinate with the Executive Branch on the implementation of the budget.” 

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Photo by Mark Cayabyab / OS WIN GATCHALIAN