Senate to remove ₱42 B for ‘ayuda’ from unprogrammed items in 2026 budget

The Senate will be firm in its position to remove about P42-billion in appropriations for “ayuda” or social assistance programs from the unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed 2026 budget bill, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Tuesday, October 28.

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Lacson said the Senate plans to keep in the budget the unprogrammed appropriations for foreign-assisted projects only.

“The House (of Representatives) left some ®42 billion in the unprogrammed appropriations for ayuda, and we will remove it,” Lacson said in Filipino in an interview on One News.

“We expect a long discussion in the bicameral conference committee but we senators agreed that ayuda funds cannot be in the unprogrammed appropriations. They should be in the regular budget,” he said.