Palace asks public to keep eye on bicam over 2026 budget

Malacañang on Friday called on the public to be vigilant about the bicameral conference committee with regard to the 2026 national budget. 

At a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the committee still has yet provide specific details regarding flood control projects, some of which may be anomalous. 

Castro said these projects are still under investigation. 

"Ngayon, hindi pa natin masasabi in details kung sino at kung anong proyekto ito, mas maganda po kasi kung mag-uulat kami ng verified. Mahirap po kasing magsabi at sabihin kong malamang itong lugar na ito, nakita ng Pangulo, sira ito at isipin niya na nagkaroon dito ng anomalya. So, bubuuin muna po ang karampatang pagiimbestiga rito, para po ang maiiulat namin sa bayan ay iyong verified facts," Castro said.

(We can't say in detail what these projects are. It's better if we report with verified data. It's hard to mention a place, and then the President will see it and think that there has been an anomaly with the project. We will complete our investigation to report verified facts.) 

"Kaya po sa tulong po ng taumbayan, sa tulong po ninyong lahat, bantayan po natin itong gagawing bicam conference pagdating sa 2026 budget. At ayaw pong maulit ng Pangulo itong nangyaring ganyan," Castro added. 

(Through the help of the public, let's monitor the bicam conference for the 2026 budget. The President doesn't want this to happen again.) 

In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed dismay with government personnel who steal public funds, including those earmarked for flood control projects.

Marcos said these officials would be dealt with under the law, noting that they should be ashamed of their actions. 

The President said a regional monitoring committee will examine the projects to check on their progress, and if they exist at all.

"We will publish this list so that the public can see it," Marcos said. "At the same time, there will be an audit and performance review of these projects to check and make sure and to know how your money was spent."

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) earlier admitted that it has no monitoring system in place for some flood control projects, specifically those inserted by lawmakers into the national budget without undergoing technical vetting.

DPWH Secretary Manuel "Manny" Bonoan said the agency is seeing some of the projects for the first time only after these appeared in the final version of the General Appropriations Act. 

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has said the presence of watchdogs and other civil society observers will be allowed at the proposed national budget deliberations, from the committee and plenary level to the bicameral conference committee.

Romualdez also vowed to strengthen the House of Representative's authority to investigate by conducting midyear performance reviews of agencies, and review of infrastructure projects. — VDV, GMA Integrated News