Malacañang assured the public that the 2026 national budget will be free from irregularities and questionable insertions.
📷: BusinessWorld
Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said this reflects President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s commitment to ensure that the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for next year is properly allocated to programs that serve the people’s welfare and future.
“Gusto po talaga ng Pangulo na ‘yung budget ay tama at maibigay sa tamang programa para sa kinabukasan at kapakinabangan ng taumbayan,” Castro told reporters in a Palace press briefing.
Castro emphasized that the President is against any attempt by lawmakers to slip insertions into the 2026 budget, adding that Marcos himself vowed to veto the General Appropriations Act (GAA) should irregularities be found.
“Sa nakikita po natin at naipapakitang galit ng taumbayan na siya rin pong nararamdaman ng Pangulo, nakita po natin na sila ay dapat matuto nang tumupad sa kanilang mandato na maging tunay na public servant,” she added.
The Palace’s remarks came after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disclosed that nearly all senators of the 19th Congress had individual budget insertions amounting to about ₱100 billion.