The Supreme Court en banc has set oral arguments on petitions questioning certain parts of the national budget for 2024, 2025, and 2026. According to an official statement from the SC, the hearings will be held on April 8 and April 22, 2026 at the Session Hall of the Supreme Court in Baguio.
Before the oral arguments, there will be a preliminary conference on February 4, 2026 at the SC Session Hall in Manila. The petitioners, who are legislators, taxpayers, and concerned citizens, are seeking to repeal certain changes made by the Bicameral Conference Committees that increased the national budget for three consecutive years. These include unprogrammed appropriations and special accounts.
One of the petitions was filed by late lawmaker Edcel Lagman, Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado, Jr., Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, former senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Congressman Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez. Their goal is to declare as unconstitutional the bicameral insertion of P449.5 billion in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Also included in the petitions is the group Filipinos for Peace, Justice, and Progress Movement Inc. (FPJPM) questioning amendments to the Special Accounts of the General Fund and other appropriations in the 2025 GAA. According to the SC, the line-item appropriation for the DPWH Special Road Fund increased from P16.756 billion to P34.748 billion in the said budget.
Also included in the consolidated petitions are Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice and ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima questioning the constitutionality of unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 national budget. According to the SC, the lawmakers insisted that the provision of the 2026 GAA allowing for unprogrammed appropriations should be declared null and void because it is unconstitutional.
