Palace says Congress' power of purse should not be abused

Congress's power of the purse should not be abused, Malacañang said on Friday, adding that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. didn't want congressional insertions that will not benefit the public included in the proposed general appropriations law.

Palace Press Officer Usec. Atty. Claire Castro made the remark when asked to react to President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who stated that the executive branch's National Expenditure Program was subject to changes during the budget process in Congress.

''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said.

"Iyan lamang po ang gusto ng Pangulo, kaya gusto niya maging malinis at budget at hangga't maaari iyong bicam conference with regard to the conference dito sa budget, 2026 budget ay bukas sa publiko,'' she added. 

(The power of the purse should be abused. The President doesn't want insertions that will not benefit the people. The President wants a transparent budget, and as much as possible, the bicameral committee conference on the budget should be open to the public.)

Castro said the President and the Cabinet secretaries were involved in the exhaustive preparation of the NEP.

"At kung numan po ang nabuo dito, ibig sabihin po, iyan po ang dapat na paglalaanan ng pondo,'' Castro said.

(Whatever was mentioned here should be allotted funds.) 

The NEP or the President's budget is submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives at the start of the appropriations process. It is the basis of Congress's budget hearings to craft the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget for the following year.

Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) on Monday, said he would return a general appropriations bill that was not in line with the NEP.

Escudero said the NEP was not set in stone.

“Ang panukalang budget ay nanggagaling hindi lamang sa executive pero pati sa Kongreso. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat ‘yun ay tama na. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat ‘yun ay hindi na pwedeng baguhin at tila nakaukit na sa bato,” Escudero said.

(The proposed budget comes not only from the executive but also from Congress. Just because it was the executive that outlined everything, all of those are already right and cannot be changed.)

“Ang marapat na dapat baguhin, dapat baguhin dahil ‘yung mga kalihim mismo ng Pangulo ay humihiling sa Kongreso ng dagdag o pagbabago sa kani-kanilang budget," he added.

"So siguro kung may ganyang uri ng kautusan ang Pangulo dapat pagsabihan din niya ang kanyang mga kalihim na kapag may sinumite ng budget ang DBM para sa kanilang departamento, ‘wag na silang humirit pa dahil bago sila makahirit ang pagkukunan ay ibang departamento rin,” Escudero said.

(What should be changed, must be changed because the President's cabinet secretaries themselves are asking Congress for an increase or change in their respective budgets. So maybe the President should also tell his secretaries that when the DBM submits a budget for their department, they should stop asking for an increase because the source for that increase will be obtained from the budget of another agency.)

Escudero has denied claims that there are billions of pesos worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.

He said the reports were part of a “demolition job” in connection with his earlier bid to retain his Senate presidency post.

Marcos, in his SONA, said that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026 as he warned that he would veto a proposed budget bill that would not be in harmony with his administration’s programs and priorities. –NB, GMA Integrated News