The national government’s fiscal deficit reached ₱786.8 billion in the first half of the year, widening from the ₱765.5 billion shortfall recorded in the same period in 2025 as state spending outpaced revenue growth. Despite the year-on-year increase, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) noted in...
Government agencies’ spending efficiency weakened in the first half of 2026, with slower utilization of cash allocations leaving ₱84.3 billion in unused cash authority, largely due to lower fund utilization by the education and public works sectors. The latest Department of Budget and...
Slow budget rollouts in agriculture and education dragged down government spending in the first half of the year, offsetting the aggressive catch-up in infrastructure projects and further decelerating the Marcos administration’s fiscal disbursement pace. According to data from the Department of...
Misleading and another attempt to misinform the public. That 's how House prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon framed the online chatter of Vice President Sara Duterte 's ongoing Senate impeachment trial being a "waste" of public funds. Ridon, in a news forum over the...
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) is “very close” to filing plunder charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez over alleged irregularities in the national budget, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said on Friday, July 17. “We’re very close to filing the plunder...
After six session days spread in three months, the Supreme Court (SC) concluded on Tuesday, July 14, the oral arguments on four consolidated petitions that challenged the constitutionality of the unprogrammed funds and special accounts in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 national budgets. The oral...
President Marcos ordered government agencies to only include projects that can be implemented quickly in next year 's national budget. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto reiterated Marcos ' directive as the Cabinet continues to evaluate the proposed 2027 national budget. Marcos, according to...
The Supreme Court (SC) will continue its oral arguments starting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14, on four consolidated petitions that challenged the constitutionality of the unprogrammed funds and special accounts in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 national budgets. Despite the pleas for a temporary...
The Marcos administration will deploy ₱12.3 billion using surpluses and fresh budget allocations to settle multi-year financial arrears owed to state universities and colleges, according to a government joint administrative order. The national government plans to tap ₱7.8 billion in...
President Marcos has approved the 2027 national expenditure program (NEP), Malacañang disclosed. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez bared this on Friday afternoon, July 10. "The Cabinet discussed and approved the 2027 national expenditure program as presented by the DBM...
President Marcos’ economic team downgraded its growth targets and raised its inflation forecasts for the year due to heightened domestic governance issues, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and the looming El Niño phenomenon threaten to disrupt the country’s economic momentum. The...
The country’s meat imports in the first five months of the year rose by nearly 22 percent to more than 720,000 metric tons (MT), as shipments from abroad continued to supplement subpar domestic production. Citing the latest Bureau of Customs (BOC) data, the Congressional Policy and Budget...
