House Leaders Halt Return of 2026 National Budget
Party leaders at the House of Representatives have decided to withdraw their request to return the proposed 2026 national budget, known as the National Expenditures Program (NEP). This development came after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) pledged to correct the errors found in the document, sources reported.
During the House committee appropriations hearing on Thursday, Palawan 2nd District Representative Jose Alvarez of the Nationalist People’s Coalition revealed that Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon reached out to him Wednesday evening. They offered to visit the House personally to address the budget issues, community members said.
Direct Engagement Replaces Budget Return Proposal
Originally, House party leaders proposed sending the NEP back to the DBM after identifying discrepancies, particularly concerning the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). These problems included allocations for projects already completed, which were also noted in other agencies’ budgets.
“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 said in Filipino.
He added, “That’s why the hearings went on, it was not stopped anymore. So deliberations would continue so that we will not be short on time. The hearings on the DPWH budget would continue so that Sec. Vince can listen to all concerns, they appealed that the fixes be made here due to time constraints. But we gave them 10 days to do it.”
Current Budget Process and Concerns
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno explained during a Wednesday press briefing that the initial recommendation was to return the NEP to the DBM. He warned that continuing with the current budget process might lead to numerous amendments through errata, potentially complicating the approval.
However, local leaders noted that this move could raise suspicions of irregular budget realignments. Puno also shared that party leaders advised their members to avoid attending budget deliberations until the issues were resolved.
Meanwhile, House spokesperson Princess Abante clarified on Thursday that the requested return of the NEP was not a physical handover but rather a call for the DBM to review and correct the budget document. “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 said in Filipino.
She further explained, “But this is the call of party leaders to DBM to review, to revisit, and to correct the budget proposal. Now I’ve seen the interviews of other party leaders, and they said that while this may not be the actual return of the NEP, this only means that the House will scrutinize even more the budget of each department.”
Despite the recommendation to send back the NEP, committee on appropriations chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mikaela Suansing confirmed that budget deliberations would continue.
Upcoming Appropriations Panel Deliberations
The appropriations panel scheduled discussions on Thursday for the budgets of the Department of Health and the Department of Transportation. The DPWH’s proposed funding will be examined on Friday, officials reported.
Last Friday, Puno disclosed that the 2026 NEP included allocations for projects already completed. He cited Marikina Representative Marcelino Teodoro’s observation that projects in his district, though finished, were still receiving funding.
Prompted by this, Puno reviewed his own district in Antipolo and found that some projects listed by the district and regional engineering offices of DPWH were missing from the NEP.
In response, the Antipolo lawmaker filed House Resolution No. 201, urging an investigation into the sponsors behind alleged “ghost” flood control projects in the 2025 national budget.
Flood Control Projects Under Scrutiny
The focus on flood control projects intensified after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s remarks in his fourth State of the Nation Address. He condemned government officials and private firms accused of earning kickbacks, which worsened flooding problems affecting communities each rainy season.
Following these statements, Congress has been urged to adopt transparency measures to enhance budget scrutiny and prevent similar issues in the future, community members said.
For more news and updates on the 2026 national budget, visit Filipinokami.com.
