Malacañang on Wednesday clarified that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not intend to physically sit in the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget, contrary to earlier speculations sparked by his recent statements.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Palace spokesperson Atty. Claire Castro emphasized that Marcos respects the separation of powers, and that his involvement will remain within the bounds of the executive's oversight responsibilities.

"Literary, he will not definitely sit during the Bicam meeting. This is just an expression to show to the people that he will keep an eye on the national budget for 2026. So, at least it should be based on the priorities of the government," Castro told reporters.

"The budget should be based on the priorities of the government, and it should prioritize the shovel-ready projects of the government," she added.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman earlier said President Marcos wants to closely monitor the entire 2026 national budget process to ensure it aligns with government priorities and includes only “shovel-ready” projects.

Pangandaman also noted that Marcos has already given his instructions for the drafting of the 2026 national budget as early as January.

"Every once in a while, in fact, bago mag-eleksyon may mga bilin po siya. Uupuan po namin lagi ‘yan [budget process] hanggang sa dulo po. Kung kinakailangan na umupo siya sa bicam, uupo ang ating Pangulo sa bicam,” she said.

(Before the elections, he had instructions. We will always sit down for the budget process until the end. If it is necessary for him to sit down with the bicam, our President will sit in the bicam.)

To recall, the 2025 national budget faced criticism due to last-minute insertions during the bicameral conference, including the controversial AKAP program.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee is scheduled to convene to finalize the 2026 budget ceiling, which will be based on revenue projections from the Department of Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Bureau of Customs.

The target spending level for Fiscal Year 2025 is based on the government’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, which estimates a budget of nearly P7 trillion.