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President Marcos is open to changes in the proposed 2026 national budget as long as they are justifiable and not intended to misuse public funds, Malacañang said amid early tensions with Congress over his warning against questionable insertions.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores)
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro clarified the President's position after Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero reminded the Palace that lawmakers have the constitutional “power of the purse.”
In her press briefing, the Palace Press Officer explained that the budget would not be rejected if there were no meaningless insertions.
“Kung mga insertion po na ito ay masasabi naman po natin na may kabuluhan, malamang po ay hindi ma-veto (If the insertions are considered meritorious, they will likely not be vetoed),” she said on Friday, Aug. 1.
“Pero pag nakikita po nila na wala naman po itong pagpupuntahan at maaaring madala lamang sa pang-aabuso, hindi po mag-aatubili ang Pangulo na ito ay i-veto (But if they see that the insertions serve no clear purpose and could lead to abuse, the President will not hesitate to veto them),” she added.
Castro stressed that while Congress has the authority to modify the budget, the Palace is appealing for responsible and transparent use of that power.
“Hindi po dapat abusuhin yung sinasabing power of the purse at magkaroon ng mga insertions na hindi magpapakinabangan ng tunay ng taong bayan (The so-called power of the purse should not be abused with insertions that don’t truly benefit the public),” she said.
She also emphasized the thorough process behind the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which she said is crafted by the President together with all Cabinet secretaries.
“Pinaghihirapan po ang paggawa ng budget para sa NEP… iniisa-isa po ito kasama ang Pangulo (A lot of effort goes into crafting the NEP… it’s reviewed line by line with the President),” Castro said.
The Palace official said the President was willing to risk the consequences of a reenacted budget if that meant preserving the integrity of public funds.
“Alam po niya yan. Kaya po niya sinabi (He’s aware of the risk, that’s why he said it),” Castro said.
“Pero malamang magsasakripisyo po ‘yan para lamang makita ng taong bayan na hindi dapat abusuhin ang pondo ng bayan (But he would rather make that sacrifice to show the public that government funds should not be abused),” she added.
When asked to confirm reports that the 2026 NEP will be submitted to the House of Representatives on Aug. 13, Castro said the budget document will be ready on time.
“Ayon po kay Secretary [Budget] Amenah [Pangandaman], tapos na po or tinatapos na po at makakapag-submit on time (According to Secretary Amenah, it’s either completed or being finalized and will be submitted on time),” she said.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, President Marcos warned Congress that he will reject the proposed 2026 national budget if it deviates from the government’s national expenditure program (NEP), even at the risk of operating under a reenacted budget.
Marcos’ statement was triggered by a scathing critique of corruption and inefficiency in public infrastructure, particularly flood control programs that he said had collapsed, failed, or never existed.
“For the 2026 national budget, I will return any proposed general appropriations bill that is not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program,” Marcos said.
“I am willing to do this even if we end up with a reenacted budget,” he added.
