The 2024 national budget ballooned to P6.498 trillion after the bicameral conference committee allocated some P450 billion in additional unprogrammed funds and made upward adjustments in other appropriations, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said, noting that this made the final version of the budget “unconstitutional.”
Pimentel said from the proposed P5.7 trillion, the committee increased the original proposed unprogrammed funds by P281 billion on top of allocating the additional P450 billion also in unprogrammed funds.
“Is that compliant with the Constitution? Our Constitution states that Congress may approve the appropriations proposed by the President for the operations of the government, but it cannot increase the appropriations. Congress can maintain the appropriations or reduce the appropriations, but it cannot increase the appropriations,” the senator said.
Data from Pimentel’s office showed the final version of the 2024 General Appropriations
Bill at P6.498 trillion is composed of P4.019 trillion in programmed funds, P731 billion in unprogrammed funds, and P1.748 trillion in automatic appropriations.
Pimentel said this was not the first time the national budget has breached P6 trillion due to increases in unprogrammed funds.
“Actually, the 2023 budget is what I’d call the first P6 trillion budget – you just did not see the unprogrammed funds. So 2024 will be the second P6 trillion budget,” he said.
Pimentel said the P450 billion worth of projects or programs or activities covered by the unprogrammed appropriations were not proposed by the executive branch.
“Where did those come from? What happened now is that Congress gave the executive branch the authority to spend an amount even greater than what is asked by the executive branch. It’s as simple as that – unconstitutional,” he said.
Pimentel, a lawyer, said this can be questioned before the Supreme Court.
For his part, Senator Francis Escudero urged economic managers to increase the gross domestic product to maintain the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio at a manageable level.
Escudero said during the six years of the Duterte administration and the first six months of President Marcos’ term, the Philippines has recorded some P13.6-trillion debt.
If the country’s borrowing is at P2.3 trillion per year, Escudero said the debt will balloon to P27.4 trillion by the end of Marcos’ term.
“If we are to maintain a 60-percent debt-to-GDP ratio, our GDP should double by 2028,” Escudero said.
