A former secretary of the Department of Finance (DoF) has called on the national government to reduce unprogrammed appropriations and include key priority social and infrastructure projects in programmed appropriations.

According to former Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, the move will allow the DoF to focus on increasing revenues instead of scrutinizing government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) for excess financial resources.

Teves, who served as finance chief under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, pointed out that in 2023 and 2024, unprogrammed appropriations reached P807.2 billion and P731.4 billion, respectively, exceeding the 5-percent average from 2010-2022.

While acknowledging the need for a reasonable amount of unprogrammed appropriations to cover unforeseen expenses, he warned that moving crucial projects from programmed to unprogrammed appropriations undermines the government's commitment to inclusive development and fiscal prudence.

Among the key priority items that Teves believes should remain programmed are upgrading health facilities, training health professionals, paying government personnel benefits, and constructing housing for the poor. He expressed concern that including these items under unprogrammed appropriations could lead to delayed implementation due to the lack of a definite funding source.

To address this, Teves recommended that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. convene the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) to agree on priority programs that should remain programmed.

He also suggested opening the bicameral conference committee to the public via livestreaming and publishing its minutes to enhance transparency in the budget process and urged the joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures to be more proactive in monitoring the utilization of public funds by government agencies and GOCCs.