We condemn the transfer of over P43 billion in critical personnel benefits from guaranteed funding, to the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) in the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which the President is set to sign into law on Monday, Jan. 5.
The ratified 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) report shows the transfer of P10.77 billion for salary upgrades and P32.47 billion for retirement and terminal leave benefits from the programmed Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and Pension and Gratuity Fund, both totalling P43.24 billion, into a new UA line item labeled “For Payment of Personnel Services Requirements.” This was done to make room for additional insertions in the lump sum funds for local government units (LGUs), which have ballooned by over P54 billion.
This is a brutal betrayal of our civil servants. Following the ratified bicameral report, the General Appropriations Act has deliberately turned the mandatory benefits of hundreds of thousands of government employees, including our teachers, as well as military and uniformed personnel, into a mere suggestion, subject to the availability of funds. They have chosen to guarantee billions in new lump sum “LGU pork” under the Local Government Support Fund while putting the rightful compensation and retirement security of public sector workers on the chopping block.
Tansferring appropriations for these mandatory personnel benefits to UA means that their payment becomes subject to availability of funds, such as when government generates excess revenues. Mula sa tiyak na pondo dahil nasa regular or programmed budget, naging hindi tiyak dahil nilipat sa “standby” or unprogrammed budget. Samakatwid ginawang alanganin ang pagbayad sa mga benepisyong ito.
This scheme repeats the painful experience of the Service Recognition Incentive for 2025, where Department of Education personnel and other employees have not received the full P20,000 amount due to alleged lack of funds.
Personnel benefits are being used as a human shield to protect the controversial UA from a presidential veto. Widespread calls for the President to veto the entire UA have mounted following exposés on the unprecedented corruption involving UA-funded flood control projects in 2023 and 2024, which were plundered through overpricing and ghost projects.
They are hiding behind the needs of teachers and civil servants to preserve a system of unprogrammed funds that has become a cesspool of corruption. Ilalagay ang pondo para sa mga guro, kawani at maging mga sundalo at pulis na retirado sa UA, para gamiting pansalag sa mga kritisismo. They will say: “Kapag tinanggal ang UA, hindi na mababayaran ang suweldo at pensyon ng mga kawani.” This is manipulative and cruel.
We call on the President to veto the UA, but with an unequivocal commitment.
We maintain our call: Veto the UA in the 2026 GAB. However, this must be paired with an immediate committment from the Executive to submit a supplemental budget at the earliest opportunity, specifically to restore the P43.245 billion for salary upgrades and retirement benefits. The people’s money must first and foremost go to the people’s servants, not to pork barrel and corrupt contractors.
By Rep. Antonio Tinio ACT Teachers Partylist