The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reaffirmed its commitment to fiscal discipline, local empowerment, and disaster resilience as the Senate began plenary deliberations on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. During the initial rounds of debate, senators focused on fund...
The Davao City Council led by acting Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte II approved on second reading on Tuesday, Nov. 12, the proposed P15.8-billion annual budget for 2026. Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, chairman of the Committee on Finance, Ways, and Means, reported that more than P13.6 billion of the...
A teachers’ group on Thursday, November 6, condemned what it called the government’s “criminal neglect” of education following the revelation that 24.8 million Filipinos are functionally illiterate — a figure it described as “a damning indictment of decades of underfunding and systemic...
The Senate is planning to approve next year’s budget that is lower than the Executive department’s proposal under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said. Sotto disclosed this during an interview at the sidelines of the turnover ceremony of...
The Senate will no longer allow “alien” provisions to be included in the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said this was the agreement in the Senate to make the budget process open “all the way to the bicam, and all the...
Senator Pia Cayetano on Tuesday, November 4 urged lawmakers to ensure that the P60-billion budget returned to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) must be kept in the 2026 national budget. As ordered by President Marcos, Cayetano said the President’s directive should not only be...
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has filed a bill seeking to ensure that government infrastructure projects are backed by feasibility studies as a way of preventing irregularities and misuse of public funds. In filing Senate Bill No. 1461 or the proposed Infrastructure Appropriations Integrity...
President Marcos is confident that the government will be able to craft “a good, clean budget” for next year as Congress continues its deliberations on the proposed national spending plan. “Even now, upon resumption of the budget hearings, marami nang nakita in both Houses, in both the House...
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will seek the endorsement of top environmental and flood management experts before including any flood control projects in its 2027 budget. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon made the announcement during a Wednesday meeting with University of the...
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero is now pushing for a bill seeking to standardize the budgeting process for infrastructure projects and curb overpricing through a Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA) system. Escudero introduced the DUPA system under Senate Bill No. 1467, which he filed on...
A group of teachers slammed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for what it described as “gross negligence” in the implementation of school building projects nationwide, calling for transparency and accountability from the agency amid persistent delays and substandard classroom...
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed a resolution asking the Senate to examine the implementation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program which he noted is seemingly moving at a slow pace. Estrada, in filing Senate Resolution No. 161, said there is a necessity for...
