President Marcos said there is no bad blood between him and former executive secretary Lucas Bersamin, following the latter 's exit from the Cabinet last week. In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Nov. 24, Marcos has put the issue to rest, saying they have already talked and all is fine....
To ensure a higher level of transparency and accountability in public spending, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is pushing for stricter rules against erring contractors, suppliers, and consultants. Under the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), contractors...
The World Bank has downgraded the implementation progress of the loan-funded Philippines Digital Infrastructure Project due to delayed budget cover. In a Sept. 22 implementation status and results report, the World Bank assigned a “moderately satisfactory” overall implementation progress rating...
Following the presidential directive to crack down on contractors involved in anomalous flood control projects, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is canceling the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) membership of these firms to bar them from future government...
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) could be reduced if it determines that some of the agency’s proposed projects will no longer be needed, as a two-week timeline has been set to revisit the DPWH budget following President...
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 policymakers, including the Philippines, are urged to balance near-term spending with long-term fiscal discipline as shrinking fiscal space and rising debt costs stress the need for consolidation to meet climate- and aging-related demands, according...
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,”...
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...
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...
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman has assured that big-ticket foreign-assisted programs and projects will no longer suffer from delays, given the budget cover included in the proposed 2026 spending plan of the national government. For its part, aid agency Japan International Cooperation Agency...
The government has proposed a ₱31-billion National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) or calamity fund for 2026, nearly 50-percent higher than this year’s allocation. According to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for fiscal year (FY) 2026, the proposed calamity...
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...
