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...
Malacañang explained that the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) was not given a fresh allocation in the proposed 2026 national budget because nearly half of its 2025 funds remain unused. In a press briefing on Thursday, Aug. 14, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the...
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Wednesday, Aug. 13, scored an early win in his efforts to ensure transparency in the budget process, after he set two suggestions that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian agreed to. Following a "solution-finding discussion" on Wednesday morning,...
While the proposed 2026 national budget increased by more than seven percent, confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) were slashed by 11.2 percent, or ₱1.35 billion, from the existing national budget. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman reported during the ceremonial turnover of the fiscal year...
In a bid for transparency, Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III wants all budget deliberations to be accessible to the public through livestreaming. Sotto had this to say he expressed full support for Concurrent Joint Resolution No. 4, filed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Backed...
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Wednesday, Aug. 13, pushed anew to make public the proponents of all amendments - including insertions - in the budget process. Lacson, an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget, said this will make the proponents answerable for flood control and other...
President Marcos has submitted to Congress a proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, saying it marks a deliberate shift from infrastructure-heavy investments to greater funding for the country’s human capital. In his budget message, the President said that while the administration...
Three days were added to the legislative calendar of the first regular session of the 20th Congress to accommodate the timely transmittal, deliberation, and approval of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). This was made through the adoption on Tuesday, Aug. 12, of Senate Concurrent...
President Marcos has received the copy of the proposed national budget for next year, amounting to P6.793 trillion. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman officially turned over the Fiscal Year 2026 National Expenditure Program to Marcos on Tuesday, Aug. 12, in a...
