First Couple skips UN assembly

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos will not be attending the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed.

The President made the decision to remain in the country to focus on pressing domestic issues.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Tess Lazaro will represent him at the UN.

“The President has delegated his engagements at the UNGA to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to allow him to focus on local issues,” Gomez said.

At home, Marcos announced the cancellation of all flood control projects slated for 2026 under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which will no longer receive funding under the General Appropriations Act (GAA). In their place, he introduced a “menu” of projects aimed at sectors that directly benefit the people.

“We already put up a menu, so that even as the budget is being written, it’s clear where the money will go. All insertions or changes can only benefit these agencies,” Marcos explained.

The savings from the canceled projects will go to fund education, agriculture, health, housing, infrastructure, ICT, labor, social services, and energy.

In education, state universities and colleges can build laboratories, dormitories, and academic buildings, while the Department of Education can strengthen the Basic Education Facilities/School Building Program, provide textbooks and instructional materials, procure laptops, and reach far-flung schools.

Funds will also go to the Department of Agriculture for farm-to-market roads, rice subsidies, post-harvest facilities, cold storage expansion, and fish port assistance. The National Irrigation Administration can build new irrigation dams.

In health, funding will support specialty hospitals, medicines, facility repairs under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, and assistance for indigent patients through the Department of Health.

Housing allocations will enable the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the National Housing Authority to provide housing units under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. Infrastructure funding will support additional evacuation centers through the Office of Civil Defense, while the Department of Information and Communications Technology can expand the Free WIFI program.

Labor programs under the Department of Labor and Employment, like the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD), will help provide jobs. Social services through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) will also be expanded.

Energy requirements will be met by the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission through electrification projects.

Marcos stressed that these reallocations would ensure that public funds are put to productive use rather than being wasted.