Sotto asserts legality of unprogrammed funds

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III insisted on Friday that unprogrammed appropriations (UAs) are “constitutionally valid” based on previous rulings of the Supreme Court. He is confident that the high court’s decisions would stay despite a new petition questioning the legality of the P150.9-billion UAs in the P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget. “Actually, unprogrammed appropriations are