SC consolidates petitions vs 2025 budget

The petition filed by Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, along with a separate petition from former presidential spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez and other petitioners questioning the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), has been consolidated by the Supreme Court.

In a resolution dated April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court en banc ordered the consolidation of the petitions, which challenge, among others, the alleged blank entries in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 national budget.

Ungab, in a statement, said the SC’s action recognizes that the cases raise “common and serious constitutional issues” regarding the manner in which the 2025 budget was crafted and approved.

He said the high court had issued an order consolidating his petition with the separate petition filed by Rodriguez and other petitioners questioning the alleged blank items in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 GAA.

Under the en banc order, Ungab’s petition questioning the transfer of PhilHealth funds and other alleged constitutional violations will be jointly heard with Rodriguez’s petition assailing the alleged blank entries in the bicameral report.

The petition filed by Ungab on PhilHealth funding and related constitutional violations will be heard and decided alongside the petition specifically questioning the existence of blank entries in the bicameral report.

According to Ungab, the consolidation would enable the SC to examine in a single proceeding issues concerning “transparency, completeness, and regularity in the budget process, including any ‘blanks’ and zeroed-out critical items.”

The lawmaker welcomed the move, saying it would lead to a more thorough review of the budget measure.

He added that “it is not about personalities or partisan color; it is about defending the constitutional power of the purse, protecting public funds from abuse, and making sure every Filipino’s hard-earned tax money is lawfully and transparently allocated.”

Ungab also noted that under the Constitution, Congress is required to enact a “complete and clear appropriations law” and that “every peso in the GAA must be traceable, authorized, and subject to accountability.”

The petitioners are seeking the nullification of Republic Act No. 12116, the law enacting the 2025 national budget, citing alleged grave abuse of discretion and constitutional violations, including the use of PhilHealth reserve funds, the alleged misclassification of education spending, and purported irregularities in budget allocations approved by Congress.