Phantom budget, ghost projects
Counsel for the petitioners observed that ‘UAs ballooned to a very high amount compared with the years before 2024,’ revealing a transformation in how…
· 2 min read
Daily TribuneTopic
Counsel for the petitioners observed that ‘UAs ballooned to a very high amount compared with the years before 2024,’ revealing a transformation in how…
· 2 min read
The Supreme Court on Tuesday subjected the government's unprogrammed appropriations system to intense scrutiny, with several justices and experts questioning…
· 3 min read
When wisdom is paid only lip service while the substance of a decision is demonstrably unwise, it ceases to be wisdom at all.
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Beyond the sacks of rice, what touched many people was the message behind the gesture: the government is present, listening and compassionate
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The sinister mechanism works under a two-part structure where the bicam moves programmed or priority appropriations to the UA.
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Under the doctrine of qualified political agency, Cabinet secretaries act as the President and are subordinate to him, not independent from him.
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The Supreme Court (SC) is set to resume oral arguments on the consolidated petitions questioning the constitutionality of unprogrammed funds and Special…
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A weak, delayed, or favorable verdict would give Congress the green light to reload the UA for Marcos’ final years.
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A pivotal moment was the 2019 General Appropriations Act standoff over P95 billion in insertions, which led to the budget’s reenactment. Monsod said it was…
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‘This unconstitutional framework, where UAs are chained to the GAA, is so massive that it would not fit inside one suitcase, but several.’
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Hard pork in the form of infrastructure spending remained alive despite assurances that discretionary allocations were being stripped away.
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The government should revisit provisions governing the implementation of unprogrammed funds in the national budget to prevent schemes involving the misuse of…
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While Lacson defended the report, its detractors called it performative, protecting Marcos and his allies while scapegoating mid-level players.
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‘My petition on the unconstitutionality of the unprogrammed appropriations — where the Supreme Court requested the SARO or special allotment release order —…
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Marcos’ involvement was hard to miss, since he was aware of what went on in the national budgets from 2023 to 2025, when the UA ballooned.
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The Court insisted on aggregate revenue targets, or on total collections exceeding projections, before UA funds can be released.
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Petitioners argued that unprogrammed appropriations had evolved into something far beyond their intended purpose.
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If the Ombudsman and the other investigating bodies had only paid attention to the SC’s public consultations, they would have had a clear path to hauling in…
· 3 min read