House Leadership Decides Against Returning NEP
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will not send back the 2026 proposed budget, known as the National Expenditure Program (NEP), officials confirmed. Mikaela Suansing, chairperson of the appropriations committee and representative of Nueva Ecija’s 1st District, clarified the leadership’s firm decision against returning the NEP to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
During a committee hearing focused on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget, Suansing explained that although some party leaders initially suggested returning the NEP, this was merely a recommendation that leadership did not act upon. She emphasized the finality of their choice to retain the NEP as submitted.
Clarifying the NEP Return Rumors
“One thing that I would like to clarify with regard to the concern on returning the NEP, what was laid down by the party leaders is recommendations from the Speaker to send back the NEP, so there was no decision on the part of the leadership as to what to do with it,” Suansing said in a mix of Filipino and English.
She added, “But now, we have a clear decision, so we can definitely say that the House will not return the NEP to the executive. So that’s it, that’s clear today, Congress would not return the NEP to the executive.” This statement put to rest ongoing speculation about the budget’s status.
Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over DPWH Budget
Concerns about the DPWH’s budget allocations prompted questions from several lawmakers. Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima proposed prioritizing lawmakers with district concerns about altered budget items to question the DPWH first. She noted rumors suggesting the NEP might be sent back to the DBM and urged transparency.
“If our House leaders would really insist on their proposal to send back the NEP — although this was already withdrawn — maybe it would be better for those who know what items are erroneous, what items are questionable entries, in the NEP pertaining to DPWH, we can prioritize that,” de Lima said in Filipino. “Let those who know, who have knowledge about what those questionable entries are, first point out to us what those (issues are).”
Constitutional Questions Raised on NEP Return
However, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice, representing Caloocan’s 2nd District, voiced doubts about the constitutionality of returning the NEP. His remarks prompted Suansing’s clarification.
“Congresswoman de Lima mentioned about returning the NEP, may we just be enlightened on this particular issue? Because I don’t think that it’s constitutionally possible (to be) returning the NEP and we will be violating because it’s very clear that our rule is 30 days after convening Congress, the NEP should be with us,” Erice said. He asked if there was still any plan to send the NEP back to the executive department.
Party Leaders Recommend Budget Review Amid Allocation Issues
Earlier this week, party leaders recommended to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez that the NEP be returned to the DBM after discovering problematic allocations in the DPWH budget. These included funding for projects already completed, raising concerns about the accuracy of the proposed budget.
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno revealed that district-level DPWH programs continued to receive allocations despite project completion. He cited Marikina Representative Marcelino Teodoro’s experience as an example. Puno also reviewed his own district in Antipolo and found that some DPWH projects were missing from the NEP.
DPWH Budget Review Deferred for Revision
The DPWH’s proposed 2026 budget was discussed on Friday. However, Secretary Manuel Bonoan did not present any details, citing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to revise the proposal. Bonoan and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman are tasked with revising and potentially overhauling the budget after lawmakers identified errors.
Following motions by De Lima to compel the DPWH and DBM to submit corrections and to defer further budget briefings, the appropriations committee, led by Suansing, approved the deferral. This move aims to ensure the budget is accurate and justified before further deliberations.
For more news and updates on National Expenditure Program, visit Filipinokami.com.
