Palace: Marcos won't literally sit in budget bicam

Malacañang clarified that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. would not literally sit in the bicameral meeting on the 2026 national budget, but he would keep an eye on it.

''Literally, he will not definitely sit during the bicam meeting. This is just an expression to show to the people that he will keep an eye on the national budget for 2026,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing.

''So, at least it should be based on the priorities of the government. The budget should [be] based on the priorities of the government and it should prioritize the shovel-ready projects of the government,'' she added.

The statement came after Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that Marcos would personally monitor the entire 2026 national budget process to ensure that it would be aligned with government priorities.

“As early as January po nung matapos po ang budget ng 2025, may mga bilin na po ang ating Presidente sa ating [2026] budget. Every once in a while po, in fact, bago mag-eleksyon may mga bilin po siya. Uupuan po namin lagi ‘yan [budget process] hanggang sa dulo po. Kung kinakailangan na umupo siya sa Bicam, uupo ang ating Pangulo sa Bicam,” Pangandaman said in an earlier interview. 

The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) is scheduled to meet on May 26 to finalize and announce the official budget ceiling.

This will depend on revenue projections from the Department of Finance (DOF), Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Bureau of Customs, the DBM said. 

Once the budget ceiling and proposed programs are finalized, the DBM, together with the DBCC, DOF, and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, will meet with the President to review key projects, especially those under the administration’s priority agenda. –NB, GMA Integrated News