MANILA — Minority lawmakers in the House of Representatives have rejected the proposed ₱6.793 trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026, citing concerns over the continued inclusion of “unprogrammed appropriations”—a funding mechanism critics say lacks transparency and opens the door to corruption.

The bill, House Bill No. 4058, was approved on third and final reading by an overwhelming majority of 287 votes, with 12 minority members opposing it and two abstaining. Among those voting “no” were representatives from Akbayan, Mamamayang Liberal, the Makabayan bloc, and several concerned lawmakers, including Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste. They argued that the current version of the bill fails to address urgent social needs and perpetuates practices that compromise public accountability.

DPWH Budget and Kickbacks: Leviste Speaks Out

Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste opposed the bill’s approval, warning that it continues to fund potential kickbacks in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He explained that despite reductions in the DPWH budget from the original proposal, contract prices for public works projects remain artificially high, allowing for 20 to 30 percent kickbacks.

“After all the flood control hearings, we should not approve the same prices for projects of DPWH. We should lower prices by 25 percent to remove ₱150 billion in possible kickbacks,” Leviste said. He added that even if a congressman does not receive a kickback, others can still benefit because kickbacks are already factored into DPWH project prices.

Leviste also cited inequitable budget allocations, noting that Region 4A, which makes up 15 percent of the country’s population and GDP, received only 10 percent of the DPWH budget. He proposed reallocating savings from reduced project costs to fund over 200 classrooms in his district.

“I don’t accept kickbacks, so I asked Congress to lower the price of DPWH projects even in my district, to show that projects can be built at lower prices if kickbacks are removed. If we can end kickbacks in some districts, we can end kickbacks in the whole DPWH,” said the 32-year-old neophyte lawmaker.

Akbayan, ML Voice Concerns Over Unprogrammed Funds

Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno criticized the scale of unprogrammed funds, particularly those allocated to foreign-assisted projects. “Ang pinakamalaking problema ng budget natin ay ‘yung unprogrammed appropriations na hanggang ngayon ay napakalaki. Nasa ₱240 billion ang inilagay sa unprogrammed na mga foreign-assisted projects na sa tingin namin ay dapat nasa regular budget,” Diokno said.

He added that supplemental budgets could address shortfalls without resorting to opaque funds, ensuring that public money reaches its intended purposes.

Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima echoed these concerns, emphasizing that Congress cannot constitutionally authorize appropriations “if there’s no definite and identifiable revenue stream.”

Makabayan Labels Unprogrammed Funds as ‘Pork’

The Makabayan bloc denounced the budget as a continuation of the “corrupt pork barrel system.”

“We, the Makabayan bloc, vehemently oppose the passage on third reading of the proposed ₱6.7 trillion General Appropriations Bill for 2026,” the bloc said in a statement.

They criticized the retention of ₱10.9 billion in confidential intelligence funds and the ₱8 billion Barangay Development Fund under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“This budget is a brazen continuation of the corrupt pork barrel system that has plundered billions of pesos from the Filipino people,” the bloc said.

“Let us be clear: the President cannot escape command responsibility for this corruption. As President, he is legally required to approve all releases from unprogrammed appropriations,” the statement stressed.

“Every ghost project, every overpriced contract, every substandard road and flood control structure built with these funds was approved under his watch,” the bloc emphasized.

📷 ML Party-list