DBM Urges Lawmakers to Adhere Closely to Marcos' NEP

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) yesterday called on lawmakers to adhere "as closely as possible" to the Marcos administration's National Expenditure Program (NEP), as it prepares to submit the President's outlay to Congress in two weeks.

- By Alexis Romero and Marco Luis Beech

In his State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Marcos warned he would reject any proposed General Appropriations Bill (GAB) not fully aligned with the NEP, even if it would mean reenacting the budget for the following year.

"We, at the DBM, support the wisdom of the President as we trust that his decisions are always about what's best for the country. We appeal to our lawmakers to follow President Bongbong Marcos' directive and adhere to the NEP as closely as possible," Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a statement.

"We are now printing our budget. In two weeks, we will submit it to the House of Representatives and the Senate," the budget chief said at a post-SONA forum yesterday.