Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
President Marcos has instructed local government units (LGUs) to spend their budget accordingly and comply with reporting requirements for transparency and accountability standards set by the government.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro on Tuesday, Jan. 27, relayed the President's appeal to local chief executives after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released this year's P1 trillion national tax allotment (NTA) for LGUs.
"Panawagan naman ng Pangulo sa mga LGU, gamitin ang budget para sa mga awtorisadong pakay at sumunod sa reporting requirements bilang bahagi ng transparency at accountability standards ng pamahalaan (The President is urging LGUs to use their budgets only for intended purposes and to follow reporting rules to maintain the government's standards of transparency and accountability)," Castro said in a press briefing.
She also said that the President signed the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and the Notice of Cash Allocations (NCA) that have directly gone to the authorized government servicing banks of LGUs under the 2026 budget.
This serves as proof of the Marcos administration's continued commitment to fiscal decentralization and to strengthening the capacity of LGUs to effectively perform the functions devolved to them, she said.
"Sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., mas palalakasin pa ang kakayahan ng local government (Under the administration of President Marcos Jr., the capabilities of local government will be further empowered)," she said.