MANILA, Philippines — House leaders have paused their plan to return the proposed 2026 national budget, known as the National Expenditures Program (NEP), after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) promised to resolve the identified issues. This move reflects a commitment to ensure accuracy and transparency in the budget process.
Palawan 2nd District Representative Jose Alvarez of the Nationalist People’s Coalition revealed that both Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon reached out on Wednesday evening, offering to personally visit the House to address the concerns. This development came after party leaders discovered that problems found in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ allocations—specifically funds earmarked for projects already completed—were also present in other agencies’ budgets.
Budget Concerns Prompt House Action
“Around nine o’clock last night, they called and said that they will be the ones to visit the House to fix the issue […] Sec. Vince (Dizon) and Sec. Mina (Pangandaman),” Alvarez shared in Filipino. Their willingness to engage directly led the House to continue budget hearings without interruption, allowing deliberations to proceed without losing valuable time.
Alvarez added that the hearings on the DPWH budget will continue so Secretary Dizon can hear all concerns firsthand. The DBM was given a 10-day window to implement the necessary corrections, highlighting the urgency of resolving the issues promptly.
Current Status of the Budget Process
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno, speaking in a recent briefing, disclosed that party leaders had initially recommended sending the NEP back to the DBM. They feared that sticking to the current process might result in numerous amendments being made through errata, complicating the budget’s approval.
However, Puno noted that physically returning the budget could raise suspicions about irregular realignments within the chamber. Consequently, party leaders instructed members to refrain from attending budget deliberations until these matters were addressed.
House spokesperson Princess Abante clarified that the proposed return of the NEP was not a literal physical return of documents but rather a request for the DBM to review and correct errors within the budget proposal. “This should be corrected by the DBM in their proposed budget handed over to the House. It is not a physical return, this is not what some envisioned as a formal sending back of the books the House received from the DBM,” she explained in Filipino.
Abante emphasized that this call from party leaders aims to ensure thorough scrutiny of each department’s budget. She noted that the House would intensify its examination of the budget proposals to uphold transparency and accuracy.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the appropriations committee, Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mikaela Suansing, confirmed that budget deliberations would proceed despite earlier recommendations to return the NEP to the DBM.
Upcoming Budget Deliberations
The appropriations panel is set to review the budgets for the Department of Health and the Department of Transportation this Thursday. The DPWH’s proposed funding will be thoroughly examined on Friday, continuing the effort to identify and correct discrepancies.
Last week, Deputy Speaker Puno brought attention to allocations in the 2026 NEP that included funding for projects already completed. He cited Marikina Representative Marcelino Teodoro’s observation that completed projects in his district were still receiving budget allocations.
Prompted by these findings, Puno reviewed the budget for his own district, Antipolo’s first district, and discovered that some projects previously included were no longer listed in the NEP.
Adding to the scrutiny, Puno filed House Resolution No. 201, urging an investigation into the sponsors behind alleged “ghost” flood control projects included in the 2025 national budget. This move aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent condemnation of officials and firms accused of profiting at the expense of citizens suffering from annual flooding.
Following the President’s remarks during his fourth State of the Nation Address, Congress faces increased pressure to adopt transparency measures that will enhance oversight throughout the budget process.
For more news and updates on the 2026 national budget, visit Filipinokami.com.
