Malacañang said Tuesday it was open to conducting transparent deliberations on the national budget amid calls to publicize the bicameral conference committee meetings.

In a briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Malacañang supports any decision of Congress that involves transactions that are of concern to the public.

“We respect the independence of the Congress but when it comes to publicizing transactions of the government, it is better to be transparent so that the public is informed,” she said.

Last week, House Speaker Martin Romualdez backed calls for open budget deliberations to ensure that the public would be privy to the crucial budget process, which is usually conducted behind closed doors.

For the 2026 national outlay, the Department of Budget and Management is set to submit to Congress a budget proposal of P6.793 trillion, which is 7.4 percent higher than the 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion.

Meanwhile, state insurer PhilHealth is also set to submit its budget proposal for 2026.

“The President always, as we say, does what is good for the people and for the country. So, now regarding the PhilHealth funds, this has just been submitted, so we will study it,” Castro said.

“Let’s remember — again, the President wants to make the lives of every Filipino better and easier, as well as provide good medical and health services,” she said.

To recall, PhilHealth received a zero subsidy in the 2025 national budget — which President Marcos justified by pointing out that the agency’s P600 billion in reserve funds was “more than enough” to cover its services for the year.

Marcos directed the state insurer to utilize its funds to provide medical assistance to patients in need.

Asked if she had seen the proposed 2026 PhilHealth budget, Castro replied that she had not.

Controversial 2025 outlay

The 2025 General Appropriation Act became controversial following allegations it contained insertions and blank entries.

Former Marikina Representative Stella Quimbo, senior vice chair of the House appropriations panel in the 19th Congress, had admitted that there were blank items in the budget but that funding for the items had been identified before members of the bicam signed the report.

She maintained that the enrolled budget bill was “complete, with no blank allocations among its more than 235,000 line items,” making the 2025 GAA “lawful, valid, and fully enforceable.”

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin also defended the budget bill, asserting that there were no blank items in the forwarded version that was signed by the President.