Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III rejected on Friday, January 9 allegations that there’s soft pork barrel in the 2026 national budget saying such statements are “unfair and baseless.” Sotto aired his sentiment when asked about Sen. Imee Marcos’ insistence that there is an...
A group of education workers on Wednesday, January 7, branded the Marcos administration’s 2026 national budget as “Binigong Pilipinas,” criticizing what it said were misplaced spending priorities that favor "pork barrel" allocations over education, teachers’ salaries, and basic social...
Malacañang has asserted that the 2026 national budget is legally sound and expressed confidence that it will withstand scrutiny. Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Marcos and his administration are confident that the national budget, which was...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian rejected on Tuesday, January 6 insinuations that the 2026 national budget was crafted to include efforts to pursue the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. This, after Sen. Imee Marcos, in a video posted on her Facebook page, floated the possibility that the...
The Supreme Court can declare the contentious Unprogrammed Appropriations as unconstitutional, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said on Tuesday, January 6. Gatchalian made the remark following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to veto P92.5-billion unprogrammed items when he signed...
A group of education workers on Tuesday, January 6, strongly criticized the Marcos administration for vetoing P43.245 billion in the 2026 national budget, which was intended for new government employees and retirement benefits. In a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines...
Senator Imee Marcos said on Tuesday, Jan. 26, that calling the 2026 national budget the cleanest is prone to challenge and that, in her view, it is “certainly the sneakiest.” In a television interview on ANC, Marcos explained why she refused to sign the budget measure, describing it as a...
Senator Paolo "Bam" Aquino said on Monday, Jan. 5, that the signing of the 2026 national budget into law ensures that vital education programs, such as the construction of classrooms and the implementation of the school-based feeding program, will be adequately funded and properly implemented....
President Marcos has a total of P4.5-billion confidential and intelligence fund under the 2026 national budget. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the Office of the President (OP) has the same amount of confidential and intelligence funds as last year. Despite public clamor over secret funds, the...
Stressing that unprogrammed appropriations (UA) are not 'blank checks, ' President Marcos has vetoed almost P92.5 billion in the 2026 national budget which he signed on Monday, Jan. 5. "[T]o ensure that public funds are expended in clear service of national interest, I vetoed several...
President Marcos is set to sign the 2026 national budget on Monday, Jan. 5, after undertaking a thorough review of the P6.793-trillion measure over the holidays. Presidential Communications Officer (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed on Sunday that the President will sign the budget on Monday....
Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday, December 31 said she refused to sign the bicameral conference committee approved version of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), saying it did not eliminate the so-called pork barrel system despite efforts to promote transparency and accountability. ...
