📷House Speaker Martin Romualdez receives from Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman a copy of the proposed national budget for 2025 amounting to P6.352 trillion.
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro today exposed the alarming increase in ‘unprogrammed appropriations’ in the 2024 national budget, calling it a new form of presidential super pork that undermines transparency and accountability in public spending.
“We are seeing a dangerous trend in the 2024 national budget where unprogrammed appropriations have ballooned to 731.4 billion pesos, an increase of 449.5 billion from the original proposal,” Rep. Castro stated. “This massive increase gives the President unprecedented discretionary power over public funds, effectively creating a presidential super pork barrel.”
Castro explained that unprogrammed appropriations allow the executive branch to reallocate funds from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) like PhilHealth, GSIS, and SSS to various projects at the President’s discretion.
“This mechanism allows the administration to siphon off funds meant for critical public services and redirect them to pet projects without proper legislative oversight,” Castro warned. “It’s a blatant attempt to circumvent budgetary processes and concentrate fiscal power in the hands of the executive.”
The progressive lawmaker called for an end to the use of unprogrammed appropriations and demanded direct funding for public health and other essential services.
“We must not allow the people’s money, especially funds intended for health insurance and social security, to be used as the President’s personal pork barrel,” Castro asserted. “We call for the abolition of all forms of pork barrel, including this new modus operandi of unprogrammed appropriations.”
Castro urged her fellow legislators and the public to remain vigilant against these budgetary maneuvers that threaten good governance and the equitable distribution of public resources.
“Let us fight corruption and demand transparency in our national budget. The people’s funds should directly benefit the people, not serve as a presidential slush fund,” Castro concluded.
