President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday signed into law the ₱6.793 trillion national budget for 2026, vetoing nearly ₱92.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations to prevent misuse of public funds.
At the signing of the General Appropriations Act in Malacañang, Marcos described the budget as a turning point after a bruising 2025 marked by disasters, economic pressures, and corruption controversies.
“These challenges are painful, but they also made one thing clear, real change could no longer wait,” he said, calling for “difficult but needed reforms in governance.”
Education received the largest share at ₱1.345 trillion for teacher hiring, training, and classroom construction. Health followed with a record ₱448.125 billion, the biggest in Philippine history, to fund universal health care, disease surveillance, and rapid response systems.
“This will ensure that quality and affordable health care is available to every Filipino,” Marcos said.
PhilHealth was allotted ₱129.8 billion, including ₱60 billion in excess funds returned by Supreme Court order, to reduce out-of-pocket medical costs.
Agriculture received ₱297.102 billion for food security, while social services were given over ₱270 billion to help cut poverty to single digits by 2028. Disaster preparedness was backed by ₱15.33 billion, and benefits for military and uniformed personnel were sustained.
Marcos underscored his veto as the strongest message of fiscal discipline.
“Let me be clear, the unprogrammed appropriations are not blank checks. We will not allow the unprogrammed appropriations to be misused or treated as a back door for discretionary spending,” he said. “I vetoed several items… totaling almost ₱92.5 billion.”
He directed agencies to practice “prudent fiscal management” with strict conditions and transparency in fund releases to ensure uninterrupted public service.