CIBAC Party-List Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva is urging Congress to scrap—or at the very least, strictly itemize—projects under Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) in the national budget.
The CIBAC solon warns that while UA is supposed to be a standby authority to spend once revenues exceed targets, it has now grown into a massive lump sum that gives the Executive branch wide discretion which weakens transparency.
During the past Congressional hearings, the numbers show the alarming trend. In 2023, UA allocations soared to ₱807.2 billion, followed by ₱731.4 billion in 2024. For 2025, the General Appropriations Act included ₱363.42 billion in UA, while the proposed 2026 budget still sets aside ₱249.99 billion.
“Kahit pa standby authority lang pero kung ganito kalaki ang pera, dapat nakalista ang mga line item projects kung saan ito gagamitin. Accountability means that from the very beginning, government must be clear where people’s money will go,” said CIBAC Rep. Bro. Eddie.
The CIBAC solon stressed that this practice undermines Congress’ constitutional power of the purse.
“Right now, Congress approves huge UA funds without knowing the actual projects or beneficiaries. Only the executive knows how the funds are utilized, and Congress finds out only after the fact. This puts Congress on a reactive rather than a proactive position in preventing possible corruption,” he added.
To address this, Rep. Villanueva proposes to scrap UA entirely and just require the submission of a supplementary budget whenever revenues exceed projections. Or, or at the very least, itemize all UA projects in the General Appropriations Act to ensure transparency and scrutiny. He also warned of the risks if UA remains unchecked. Billions of pesos in previous years have been released without sufficient scrutiny, creating what he called a “dangerous opportunity” for political patronage and unaccountable spending.
“Public office is a public trust. Every peso must be accounted for through clear, itemized allocations that are subject to congressional debate and public oversight,” Villanueva said.
He further underscored that responsible fiscal management is also a moral responsibility.
“Excess revenues is a blessing from God and from the hard work of the Filipino people. The proper response is not to hide it under a catch-all appropriation, but to deliberately and transparently allocate it to vital services—health, education, agriculture, and jobs,” the CIBAC solon noted.
CIBAC reaffirmed its commitment to fight for reforms in Congress that will mandate itemized GAAs, regular reporting of UA releases, or the complete abolition of discretionary lump sums.
“Kung seryoso tayo sa pagbabago ng kultura ng pamahalaan, kailangan nating alisin ang kultura ng lump sum at palitan ito ng kultura ng transparency at pananagutan,” Rep. Villanueva concluded. #