Palace: 2026 budgets of other agencies may be reviewed if irregularities found

Malacañang on Thursday said the government is prepared to conduct a thorough review of the proposed 2026 budgets of other government agencies, beyond the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), if irregularities are discovered in their allocations under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is willing to issue similar directives to scrutinize other agencies' budget proposals should questionable items be identified.

“Kung may iba pang ahensya na involved, ay ganoon din po ang magiging utos ng Pangulo (If there are other agencies involved, the President will issue the same directive),” Castro stated.

However, she emphasized that allegations of anomalies must be backed by concrete evidence before any formal recommendation is made to the President.

Castro added that it is important to provide details to the President to ascertain if there are indeed irregularities.

“Ngayon po ay kailangan lang tingnan. Hindi po natin masasabi na mayroon talagang mga anomalyang naisingit (It is important to look at the details. We cannot claim there are anomalies unless we have proof)," Castro said.

As of now, the President has instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the DPWH to carefully re-evaluate items flagged in the agency’s proposed 2026 budget and implement necessary revisions.

Despite the controversy, Castro assured the public that congressional budget deliberations remain on schedule and are proceeding as planned.