What is the Doctrine of Augmentation

The following may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations in accordance with Doctrine of Augmentation: President; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and Heads of Constitutional Commissions. (1987 Constitution, Art. VI, Sec. 25[5]; Demetria v. Alba, G.R. No. 71977, February 27, 1987 and Araullo v. Aquino III, G.R. No. 209287, July 1, 2014) Prohibitions against appropriations for sectarian benefit; and Automatic re-appropriation– If, by the end of any fiscal year, the Congress shall have failed to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuing fiscal year, the general appropriations law for the preceding fiscal year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and effect until the general appropriations bill is passed by the Congress [1987 Constitution, Art. VI, Sec. 25(7)].