Marcos closely monitoring 2026 budget, says DBM chief
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday assured the public that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is personally monitoring the entire 2026 national budget process to ensure it stays aligned with government priorities and only includes shovel-ready projects.
“As early as January, right after the 2025 budget was completed, the president already gave instructions regarding the 2026 budget. From time to time—in fact, even before the elections—he issued directives. We will go through the entire budget process together until the very end. If necessary, the president himself will attend the Bicameral Conference Committee meetings,” Pangandaman said in Filipino during an interview.
The target spending level for Fiscal Year 2025 is based on the government’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, which estimates a budget of almost P7 trillion.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) is scheduled to meet on Monday, May 26, to finalize and announce the official budget ceiling. This will depend on revenue projections from the Department of Finance (DOF), Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Bureau of Customs.
Once the budget ceiling and proposed programs are finalized, the DBM, together with the DBCC, DOF, and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, will meet with Marcos to review key projects, especially those under the administration’s priority agenda.
Pangandaman explained how the budget process works using the DBM’s Two-Tier Budgeting Approach (2TBA). Tier 1 covers regular expenses, such as salaries, operating costs, and ongoing capital projects. Tier 2 includes big or new projects for which agencies are requesting additional funds.
“This is what we’re really focusing on. Some of the projects are not yet ready, and it would be a waste to fund them if they’re not shovel-ready. We’ll also be looking at their utilization rates,” she added.
Pangandaman also explained how the national budget continues to play a key role in growing the Philippine economy.
“This year, we’re pleased with the growth of our economy because we know our budget played a key role. For the first time, the budget’s contribution reached double digits—almost 18 percent. Our GDP growth also saw a significant increase. Without the budget, our economic growth might have been just 3 percent,” she said in Filipino.
