By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(May 22, 2025) – Malacañang on Thursday clarified that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. won’t physically attend the bicameral conference committee (bicam) of the Congress for the 2026 national budget.
Presidential Communications Office Usec. Claire Castro stressed that it is only an “expression.”
“[President Marcos, Jr.] will not definitely sit during the [bicameral] meeting. This is just an expression to show to the people that he will keep an eye on the national budget for 2026,” said Castro in a media briefing.
On Tuesday, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Sec. Amenah Pangandaman told in an interview that Marcos expressed willingness to join the budget deliberations if needed.
Critics, however, argued that the 1987 Constitution vests the sole authority over the budget process to the legislative branch, including the House of Representatives and Senate.
Castro furthered Malacañang wants to ensure the budget problems that occurred last year will not repeat for the 2026 funding.
“The (national) budget should be based on the priorities of the government and it should prioritize the shovel-ready projects of the government,” she added.
Last December 2024, Marcos signed the “2025 General Appropriations Act” (GAA) worth P6.326 trillion, a slight decrease from his administration’s proposed P6.352 trillion after he vetoed several line items worth P194 billion.
Cause-oriented groups and some lawmakers criticized the 2025 national budget due to hefty cuts in key government offices, including education and health. Marcos later admitted that the funding was “suboptimal.”
ALSO READ: Marcos seeking remedies for ‘suboptimal’ 2025 national budget
In January, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab and Marcos’ former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez, among six petitioners, urged the Supreme Court to declare the 2025 national budget unconstitutional due to blank items in the bicameral report.
Marcos dismissed the petition as a “destabilization” attempt against his government, claiming that he did not find blank items in the over 4,000-page expenditure plan after reviewing it.
ALSO READ: Petition against 2025 national budget a ‘destabilization’ attempt, claims Marcos
The high court has yet to announce a new date for the oral arguments for the 2025 GAA. It was postponed twice.
(With reports from Maricel Halili, News5)
(PM)
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