After receiving a slightly different budget for 2025 compared to the submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said they are working on making the budget "optimal."

"Perhaps the budget as was passed, you could describe it as suboptimal. But we are remedying that situation," Marcos told reporters.

Marcos noted that the administration is reviewing the projects listed in the NEP and looking for funds to continue the administration's initiatives.

"For the projects that were in the NEP that didn't receive allocations, we are looking for savings to restore those funds. Like the case in education and in health," he said.

This past week, Marcos held meetings with various government agencies to discuss the allocated budgets per department, as well as tackle concerns in programs that did not receive the necessary funding, such as the Department of Tourism's (DoT) branding budget.

On Wednesday, the DoT requested the restoration of its P400 million branding budget.

According to Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, insufficient funding for the DoT would lead to setbacks such as reduced engagement with target audiences, fewer trade and consumer activation opportunities, and the absence of global media placements.

Marcos and the DoT aim to ride on the momentum of recent accomplishments by Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and The Voice US champion Sofronio Vasquez to help promote the Philippines.

The President assured the department that the budget will be restored through the Department of Budget and Management.