BBM rejects budget recall

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ruled out the possibility of returning the proposed 2026 national budget to Malacañang amid the mounting controversy over alleged irregularities in flood control project allocations.

The President was responding to calls by members of the House of Representatives to withdraw the National Expenditure Program (NEP) in light of reports of questionable budget items and funding anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Instead of returning it, Marcos committed to “review and rewrite” the 2026 proposed budget of the DPWH, which would be resubmitted to Congress.

“No, it’s not a possibility. Ang titignan na lang is the DPWH. Unilaterally, from our end and the executive, I already instructed the DPWH to review and rewrite the DPWH budget. So we have a commitment to Congress that the rewritten DPWH budget will be submitted to them,” the President said.

Rather than withdrawing the entire NEP, the President said he had directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the DPWH to conduct a full review and overhaul of the latter agency’s proposed 2026 budget.

He emphasized that a revised DPWH budget, reflecting more accurate and transparent project funding, will be resubmitted to Congress, ensuring continued progress in the budget process without derailing the timeline for deliberation and approval.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has been tasked with heading the executive review, while DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has committed to reexamining all flood control project allocations.

This includes allegations of duplicate entries, overlapping allocations, and projects already declared complete but still drawing funds.

The 2026 NEP is 7.4-percent higher than the 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion.