DBM moves to prevent 2026 budget insertions

Marcos OKs P6.793-T budget for 2026

- By LOUISE MAUREEN SIMEON and ALEXIS ROMERO

The executive branch is moving to prevent a repeat of controversial insertions by lawmakers in the annual outlay, as President Marcos and the Cabinet yesterday approved a P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman called on state agencies to stick to the agreed budget, and not ask for more once Congress deliberates on the 2026 NEP.

In an interview, Pangandaman said agencies and departments must take into consideration that next year's budget is "very tight," as she urged them not to demand additional resources from lawmakers when budget hearings commence.

She said doing so risks having insertions in the General Appropriations Act again, similar to what happened to this year's GAA.

The mangling of the 2025 NEP proposed by the executive has been challenged before the Supreme Court, with certain portions of the GAA deemed to be unconstitutional by the petitioners.

As part of the budget process, agencies undergo hearings at the House of Representatives and Senate where they defend their proposals.

"The priorities in the budget are priorities of the department" secretaries. I'm hoping that they won't ask for more (during hearings)," Pangandaman told The STAR.

"We have a limit. Otherwise, all of their projects would have been given (funding). So, when they ask because they think they need more, the tendency is it will be reduced in other departments," she said.

Prior to the P6.793-trillion NEP for 2026, the DBM actually received more than P10 trillion in budget submissions.

However, the government's still limited fiscal space will not be able to fund additional programs.

Pangandaman said she has been sitting down with department secretaries to check that they agree with their budget levels and priorities.