Marcos budget surplus hits ₱165B

The national government's fiscal position swung to a substantial surplus in January this year as the Marcos administration aggressively reined in spending following a year of missed budget targets.

- DERCO ROSAL

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that the national government posted a budget surplus of ₱165.4 billion in the first month of 2026, more than doubling the ₱68.4 billion recorded in the same period last year,

Total revenues for the month reached ₱468.9 billion, a slight increase from the ₱467.1 billion collected in January 2025. This growth was driven by tax collections, which made up 94.5 percent of the total.

Of the total tax receipts, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) contributed ₱358.7 billion, an increase of one percent from the previous year. This modest expansion in the collection of the country's main tax collection agency was driven by digitalization efforts and "intensified" tax administration.