A member of the House of Representatives on Tuesday took an indirect swipe at senators who are pointing an accusing finger at the lower chamber on the "alien" allocation of a P26.7 billion aid program under this year's budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In a press conference at the House, 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Ramon Gutierrez deemed a "grave accusation" that the P5.768 trillion General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024 did not undergo meticulous scrutiny, making it vulnerable to irregularities.

Last week, senators said they were unaware of the P26.7 billion AKAP or Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program line item under the DSWD's 2024 budget.

Senator Imee Marcos, who sponsored the DSWD's budget, said the AKAP funds are "alien" and "magical" to her.

"For some of our stakeholders to claim that the bicam did not go through the correct process, I think that is something that should be studied. It is a very grave accusation that should be studied very carefully," Gutierrez lamented.

House leaders were quick to deny the senator's recent insinuations that the AKAP was inserted by the lower chamber to fund the contentious push to amend the 1987 Constitution through people's initiative, allegedly orchestrated by Speaker Martin Romualdez.

A staunch opponent of Cha-cha, Marcos alleged that "all soft projects including AKAP must go through the Office of the Speaker," whom he tagged as the architect of PI efforts, including mustering of signatures that were allegedly marred by monetary incentives.

Gutierrez, however, said it is challenging to accuse that a budget was slashed in favor of another, especially if it comes to someone who gave her stamp of approval in the bicameral report of the 2024 GAB before it was submitted to Malacanang for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature.

The signatures of both the senators and congressmen in the bicam report are mere proof that the two chambers of Congress reached a consensus concerning the check and balance of the national expenditure, according to the solon.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said AKAP was designed for those who belong to the "nearly poor" segment or those already delisted from the government's aid programs but who could easily slip below the poverty line.

The social program is intended to serve as a buffer against runaway inflation.

Gatchalian said "not a single centavo" has been spent in the AKAP since the DSWD is still crafting the guidelines "to ensure the program's smooth and efficient fulfillment of the agency's mandate."