Malacañang has defended the inclusion of P250 billion in unprogrammed appropriations under the proposed 2026 national budget, saying the funds serve as a vital contingency reserve for emergencies and unforeseen needs, with President Marcos himself ensuring they are properly managed. Communications...
The Senate will push for zero unprogrammed funds in the proposed 2026 national budget, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Monday, October 6. Sotto said this is part of the government’s bid for a transparent budget in light of the controversy in flood control projects. The...
While President Marcos has scrapped next year 's budget for flood control projects, it does not mean that his administration has given up on infrastructure. Marcos pointed out that the government cannot stop from implementing infrastructure projects as doing so would mean stopping the country...
The Department of Education (DepEd) vowed to fully utilize its proposed budget and all the amount it would get from flood control realignments to fund the various needs of the agency for next year, Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Tuesday, September 16. Angara made this assurance...
President Marcos has bared the "menu" that will serve as a guide for lawmakers in making budget adjustments, following the cancellation of flood control budget for 2026. The supposed flood control budget will be realigned to priority sectors such as education, health, agriculture, housing,...
A Senate finance subpanel on Wednesday, September 10 has approved the proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) and the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) for 2026, marking it “deemed submitted” for plenary consideration. The OP has a proposed budget of P27.3-billion, while PMS has...
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday, September 4 said that while the House of Representatives cannot return the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026 back to Malacañang to fix the “mangled” entries there, another option is available. For instance, Lacson said the Department of...
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday, September 2 called on Malacañang to draw up a “negative list” of infrastructure projects that cannot be funded under the 2026 national budget and should be vetoed outright by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Escudero said these should be...
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson lamented the low adoption of local development projects in the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026, noting that only 19.9 percent of the proposals from local development councils were included. “I noticed that only 19.9 percent of projects...
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was warned on Monday, September 1 not to become an “accessory” again by prioritizing flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the country’s education sector in the P6.79 trillion national budget for 2026. ...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Saturday, Aug. 30, that he already flagged questionable allocations in the budget request of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for 2026, similar to what Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson had already exposed. In an interview with DWIZ, Gatchalian...
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...
