SENATE President Vicente Sotto III announced on Monday that the Senate will prioritize transparency in the 2026 national budget bill by eliminating both urgent certifications and unprogrammed funding.
Speaking at a press conference, Sotto stated that he and Senate finance committee head Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian will work to ensure the removal of unprogrammed funds, shifting them to programmed allocations. “Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and I will ensure that when we discuss the budget on its final reading, there will be no unprogrammed funds. We will put this on programmed allocations,” Sotto said. “So that it’s clear and transparent. We can avoid the act of budget realignment once the budget is already passed.”
Furthermore, Sotto noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed that the national budget bill will no longer be certified as urgent. This certification allows lawmakers to bypass the constitutional three-day rule, enabling the second and third readings of a bill to occur on the same day. “The president himself said that. He said he no longer likes a shortcut on the three-day rule. So it’s like that. I’m sure it will also be applied in the Senate,” Sotto explained.
When asked if removing the urgent certification would delay the budget’s passage, Sotto expressed confidence that it would not, and that it would ultimately benefit the process. “It will do good for us,” Sotto asserted. “You have three days to go over and review what you approved on the second reading before you vote in a nominal vote on the third reading.”
