President Marcos’ newly appointed budget chief vowed a sweeping crackdown on fiscal leaks and corruption during his first official address on Wednesday, May 20, drawing a hard line against the repeat of recent infrastructure funding controversies that have plagued public infrastructure spending.

Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon, taking the helm of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), used his installation ceremony to signal a tighter grip on the national treasury.

De Leon, who at 32 becomes the youngest budget secretary in Philippine history, targeted past systemic vulnerabilities, specifically referencing high-profile irregularities in infrastructure allocations.

The government will not allow the budget to be abused again for another flood control scandal, De Leon told an audience of state officials and state employees at the agency's headquarters in Manila.

He noted that the directive from the presidency is explicit: every peso must be directed toward public welfare rather than lost to corruption, negligence, or unproductive projects.

De Leon assumes leadership of the fiscal agency at a challenging juncture for the economy. The country is grappling with a combination of moderating economic growth, elevated domestic fuel prices, and persistent public dissatisfaction over the pace of government service delivery.

The DBM plays a critical role in the economy by controlling the release of state funds to line agencies, a process that heavily dictates the pace of gross domestic product growth through government final consumption expenditure and capital outlays.

The new budget chief emphasized that bureaucratic delays within the budget ministry would be eliminated to accelerate the deployment of state funds into the economy.

He stated that sluggishness and long waiting times will not be permitted under his watch, arguing that public service must be expedited so that government spending directly eases the economic burdens of citizens.

A career technocrat with a background in fiscal management, organizational restructuring, and digital governance, De Leon frames his upcoming tenure around institutional reform.

He pledged to utilize digital solutions to increase transparency and block avenues for corruption, while leaning on his background as a former scout to emphasize personal integrity in managing the state’s finances.

De Leon succeeds Rolando U. Toledo, a veteran public finance official who is stepping down after nearly four decades in government service.

During the turnover ceremony, Toledo urged the department’s rank-and-file to maintain institutional integrity and ensure that citizens remain central to the public financial management system.

The leadership transition comes as the administration pushes its "Bagong Pilipinas" (New Philippines) economic and governance agenda, which relies on aggressive infrastructure development and streamlined bureaucracy to sustain fiscal stability.

Under De Leon, the DBM is expected to tighten oversight on agency-level procurement and fund deployment to ensure that budgeted allocations translate into actual economic output.