Reenacted budget to delay projects

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman cautioned that government programs and projects may face paralysis next year should President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. veto a Congress-approved national budget that deviates from his administration’s priorities.

- By DERCO ROSAL

While Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto does not expect a reenacted budget for 2026, Pangandaman warned that a misalignment between Congress’ and the President’s budget versions may delay the implementation of government projects.

“The President and the executive have deliberated on how to frame our budget. If that changes and does not align with what our Cabinet initially planned, the implementation of projects will slow down first and foremost. Because we are not ready for that,” Pangandaman told attendees of the 2025 post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions with Cabinet Secretaries on Tuesday, July 29.

According to Pangandaman, the discussions held over the past six months during the budget process served as their basis for how to implement and carry out the projects. Any inconsistency between the final proposed budget by Congress and what was approved by the executive could lead to delays in project implementation.

This came after the President declared during his fourth SONA on Monday, July 28, that he would return a spending plan that does not align with the administration's priorities.