Malacañang has assured the public that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will reject any budget insertions lacking proper documentation or valid project objectives, amid growing scrutiny of the proposed 2027 national budget by lawmakers, business groups, and civil society organizations.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized the administration’s stance on fiscal responsibility during a press briefing on Tuesday, November 3.
“Ang utos ng Pangulo, ang pondo ng bayan ay hindi dapat inaabuso. Ang pondo ng bayan ay dapat sa taumbayan hindi sa bulsa ng ninuman. Hindi ito sweet talks katulad noong sinasabi ng iba,” Castro said.
“Hindi papayagan ng Pangulo ang anumang budget amendments kung ito ay walang sapat na dokumento, walang tamang deskripsiyon at walang kahihinatnang proyekto. Hindi iyan papayagan ng Pangulo,” she added.
While firmly opposing fund abuse, Castro noted that the Executive branch will maintain a hands-off approach toward the legislative process to avoid accusations of interference or authoritarianism.
“Ang Pangulo ay hindi makikialam sa trabaho ng Kongreso. Hindi ito panahon kay Pangulo na pakialaman sila dahil kapag sila ay kinausap at makikialam sa trabaho ng House of Representatives or ng Senado ang sasabihin ng ibang tao ay diktador, kapag naman hindi nakialam sasabihin ninyo walang pakialam,” she explained.
Castro also cautioned against premature conclusions of corruption, reminding critics that the budget remains a work in progress.
“Dadaan pa po iyan sa bicam conference at dadaan pa po iyan sa pagsusuri ng economic team ng Pangulo bago ito pirmahan kaya huwag sanang ipalabas agad na mayroon ng anomalya at ang lumalabas na may kasalanan ay ang administrasyon,” Castro said.
According to the Palace official, President Marcos prefers that the Executive’s proposed budget allocations remain unreduced to prevent implementation delays for critical administration projects.
“Alam naman natin, even before, ano ang gusto ng Pangulo. Ang proyekto na nakasaad sa proposed budget, huwag nang bawasan dahil matitigil o magiging sanhi ito para ma-delay ang mga proyektong dapat na tapusin sa administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. So huwag kayo magbawas diyan. Huwag bawasan ang alam na proposed budget ng Ehekutibo,” she stated.
Should irregularities slip through, Castro reiterated that the President is prepared to exercise his veto power.
“Alam naman natin na kapag kinakailangan ng Pangulo na mag-veto, nagbe-veto siya. So, iyon lang po ang dapat nating asahan sa Pangulo, dahil siya mismo ang nagsabi na ang pondo ay hindi dapat naaaksaya, hindi dapat inaabuso,” she noted.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has also invited external watchdogs and monitoring groups to share copies of their budget observations to aid executive oversight.