Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has slammed what he said are “obviously political” cuts in the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) budget for promotions in recent years. Ejercito said that due to the budget cuts the Philippines’ competitiveness in the global tourism market suffered. “In...
Government agencies posted a 94-percent utilization rate of their cash allocations in the first seven months of 2025, unchanged from a year ago, but the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) continued to trail behind. Latest data from the...
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said it has already ordered government agencies to submit their catch-up plans following its slowest spending in three quarters in the second quarter. “We already asked each agency to submit to us their catch-up plan,”...
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has recommended that governors and city mayors be invited to the Senate’s upcoming public hearings on the proposed 2026 national budget. Escudero said he has made the suggestion to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance,...
The government has programmed ₱419.9 billion in infrastructure spending for the third quarter, the biggest quarterly infra disbursement for 2025, at a time when allegedly fraudulent flood control projects are taking the spotlight amid concerns about some wasteful and corruption-laden public...
Senator Erwin Tulfo on Tuesday, August 19 pressed government officials to explain numerous flood control projects poured into provinces that are not even among the country’s most flood-prone areas. Citing a list released by President Marcos, Tulfo noted that Cebu received 414 flood control...
A military and uniformed personnel (MUP) reform has not made the cut for the priority legislation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s three remaining years, as enacting changes would entail higher costs. “I think the reform will be more costly at this point in time,” Finance Secretary Ralph...
Asian exports, including those from the Philippines, are seen remaining resilient in the second half of the year, contrary to earlier expectations that regional shipments would slump once front-loading ahead of United States (US) tariffs wane, according to the think tank Capital Economics....
The Senate Minority bloc will no longer allow their colleagues in the Senate to play “hide and seek” during deliberations on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri made the remark on Monday, August 18 assuring that the opposition senators...
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) welcomed on Saturday, Aug. 16, the proposed P11 billion allocation under the 2026 national budget for its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program and other emergency employment initiatives. DOLE said the funding will...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) welcomed on Thursday, Aug. 14, the allocation of P40 billion for its revised modernization program under the proposed 2026 national budget. In a statement, the AFP said the allocation was a “clear statement of our nation’s resolve to protect its...
A group of education workers on Thursday, August 14, denounced the Marcos administration’s proposed P10.77 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for 2026, branding them “pork barrel in disguise” and demanding their reallocation to education and social services. The Alliance of...
