It’s up to Supreme Court to rule on unprogrammed funds – Salceda

Supreme Court. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — It will be up to the Supreme Court (SC) to decide whether the additional unprogrammed funds that Congress inserted in the 2024 national budget are constitutional, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said in a statement on Tuesday.

Another Albay lawmaker, Rep. Edcel Lagman, said that the  additional P449.5 billion in unprogrammed funds in the 2024  General Appropriations Act is a “constitutional infirmity.” Lagman said he might file a petition in the Supreme Court.

Salceda, the chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said that the court will settle the issue.

READ: Solons says P449.5 B unprogrammed funds may be challenged before SC

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“Once a case is filed in the Supreme Court, the court will decide on the matter. I expect it to decide as it has always done so: with the maximum liberality and presumption of regularity granted to Congress in the exercise of its exclusive powers,” Salceda said.

However, Salceda defended the unprogrammed funds. He said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) explained that the unprogrammed funds were not part of the fiscal program.

“As such, only the programmed appropriations are subject to Article VI, Section 25 (1) of the Constitution, or the prohibition against increasing appropriations recommended by the President. In short, the DBM said Congress can increase the unprogrammed appropriations as proposed,” Salceda said.