MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday signed the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 but vetoed seven of 10 unprogrammed appropriations (UAs), or P92.5 billion of UAs totaling P243.4 billion.
With the veto, UAs in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) were trimmed down to P150.9 billion, the lowest such appropriations since 2019.
The president acknowledged efforts by Congress to limiting UAs to “essential needs” but said he was pushing it further and reducing UAs to “the absolute bare minimum.”