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...
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...
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...
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has validated 798 of the 946 infrastructure projects flagged by senators as “reappearing” items in the proposed 2026 national budget. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, during the Senate budget deliberations on Monday, said the validated projects,...
Senators Loren Legarda and Bam Aquino on Monday, Oct. 20 pressed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to implement an across-the-board reduction of 20 to 30 percent in its infrastructure line items, as they cited recent corruption scandals that revealed systemic overpricing of...
The General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026, the government’s proposed spending measure for its operations programs and projects, is now available on the House of Representatives’ website. https://docs.congress.hrep.online/legisdocs/third_20/HBT4058.pdf Senate Finance Committee chairman...
Malacañang gave an assurance that the unprogrammed appropriations under the proposed 2026 national budget will not end up as "pork barrel." Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said that although P250 billion falls under the unprogrammed appropriations, it will be...
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...
Amid the continuous investigation into the flood control project scandal, Senator Bam Aquino is pushing for a bill that seeks the tap blockchain technology in the national budget as a means to curb corruption. Tacklec during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology presided by...
Soon after Congress convenes every July, the President submits a proposal to the House of Representatives that details what the government needs to operate and to implement projects in the coming year; the revenues that it expects to generate; and how much it needs to borrow to cover the proposed...
