Pres. Bongbong Marcos Gives Message for Congress Ahead of Budget Deliberations
BONGBONG MARCOS – The President is urging the 20th Congress to “swiftly enact” the 2026 National Budget and to work together for the Philippines.
During his 4th State of the Nation Address or SONA 2025 which was held last July 28 at the Batasang Pambansa, Marcos Jr. vowed that he will not approve budget proposals that are “misaligned” to the plans of the government. According to him, he will return such proposals and he can go as far as having a reenacted budget.
However, when asked about his opinion on the remarks of the President, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero stressed that the Congress still has the “power of the purse”. Meanwhile, Malacañang asked the Congress not to abuse the “power of the purse” and to, as much as possible, make the deliberations open to the public.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez filed and passed a resolution that sought for “watchdog” to be allowed during the budget talks. He stressed that his move is in line with the intention of the Chief Executive.
Earlier today, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted the P6.793 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the House of Representatives. The Congress is set to start the budget talks over the proposed budget allocations set by the executive branch for 2026.
Based on a report on GMA News, ahead of the budget talks for the national budget 2026, Pres. Bongbong Marcos called on the Congress to “swiftly enact” the budget. He also called for cooperation among the branches of the government for the future of the country.
”I urge the honorable members of Congress to swiftly enact this budget. Let us work together to realize the full potential of our nation, nurture future-ready generations and fulfill our dream of a Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.
Based on the report, Pres. Bongbong Marcos said the Philippines is on the track with its prosperity targets. Furthermore, the Chief Executive claimed that the country is poised to be a leader among nations, especially in the Asia Pacific region.
”However, while we have recovered from the pandemic, we recognize that there is still much to rebuild, and there is still much that can be achieved. We must not lose sight of our collective responsibility to ensure a brighter future for our people, especially the next generations,” the President expressed.
With regards to the priority recipients of the proposed 2026 National Budget and how much each department is proposed to have, here’s what the President said:
- Department of Education (DepEd) — P928.5 billion
- Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) — P881.3 billion
- Department of Health (DOH) — P320.5 billion
- Department of National Defense (DND) — P299.3 billion
- Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) — P287.5 billion
- Department of Agriculture (DA) — P239.2 billion
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) — P227.0 billion
- Department of Transportation (DOTr) — P197.3 billion
- Judiciary Department — P67.9 billion
- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) — P55.2 billion
Ahead of the budget deliberations, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that she already sees cut in the proposed budget of the OVP citing the Marcos administration.