Malacañang has assured the public that President Marcos will not permit any irregular projects in the 2026 national budget, vowing a clean process following the controversies that hounded this year’s appropriations.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this amid ongoing investigations into anomalous flood control projects and realignment of funds to the administration’s priority programs.

In a press briefing on Monday, Sept. 29, Castro said Marcos has made clear that questionable provisions will be struck down, a remark that the President has been repeating since his State of the Nation Address in July.

“So makakasiguro po tayo, with all these things happening, makakaasa po ang taong bayan na magiging maayos ang 2026 budget, at hindi po pahihintulutan ng Pangulo ang mga maanumalyang proyekto (With all these things happening, the people can be assured that the 2026 budget will be in order, and the President will not allow anomalous projects),” she said, adding that insertions or suspicious items in the budget would face his veto.

Asked about the criticisms that the 2025 national budget was among the “most corrupt,” a phrase earlier used by former senator Franklin Drilon, the Palace official said the public’s anger over questionable insertions mirrors the President’s own frustration.

She added that those who made such moves should reflect on their duty as true public servants.

“Mas maganda po siguro maitanong ito doon sa mga naglagay ng insertions — ano po ang lesson learned nila? (It would be better to ask those who made the insertions — what lesson did they learn?),” Castro said.

“Sa nakikita po natin, at naipapakita na galit ng taong bayan na siya rin pong nararamdaman ng Pangulo, nakita po natin na sila ay dapat matuto na, na tumupad sa kanilang mandato (Clearly, the people’s anger, which the President also feels, shows they must learn to fulfill their mandate as true public servants),” she added.

Castro emphasized that the Palace’s position is to put the nation’s money into programs that deliver lasting benefits, which is in line with Marcos’ commitment to prudent spending.

Meanwhile, Castro allayed fears that the realignment of P255.5 billion in supposed flood control funds for 2026 to various government programs could compromise disaster readiness.

She clarified that essential flood control works will still push through, and contractors remain responsible for finishing projects already paid for.

“Kasi po meron pa po tayo, sa pagkakaalam, kung ito man ay napondohan at nabayaran in full at hindi nagawa ng mga contractor na ito, liability po nila ito at dapat po nila itong tapusin (If projects have already been funded and paid in full but were not completed, the contractors are liable and must finish them),” Castro said.

The reassessment, she explained, created fiscal space for programs that would directly benefit the people instead of being wasted on non-existent or substandard projects.