SC ruling shows 2024, 2025 GAAs ‘worst’ in history – Lacson

MANILA, Philippines — The General Appropriations Acts (GAAs) for 2024 and 2025 will go down in history as the worst budgets approved by Congress, Sen. Panfilo Lacson declared on Wednesday.

This came after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled on Tuesday that some provisions in the 2024 and 2025 GAAs were unconstitutional.

“The 2024 and 2025 GAAs will go down in history as the worst budgets ever passed by Congress,” Lacson said in a statement.

With both fiscal years having already ended, Lacson surmised that funds that “remain unspent may not be disbursed anymore,” while those already utilized “may not be invalidated.”READ: SC: ‘Bloated’ unprogrammed funds in nat’l budget ‘unconstitutional’The senator then lauded the timing of the ruling with the 2027 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) from the House of Representatives recently transmitted to the Senate.“It couldn’t have come at a better time when the House version of the 2027 GAB is undergoing scrutiny by the Senate,” Lacson noted.Under the 2024 GAA, the SC flagged the Congress’ move to increase by P449.5 billion the unprogrammed appropriations.It also nullified the P17.9 billion increase in the Special Road Fund under the 2025 GAA. /jpv