Marcos: Executive tasked to submit budget plan, make sure funds are secure

It's the job of the executive branch to come up with a spending plan and make sure that government funds are allocated to that program, and neither wasted nor stolen, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has said.

In an interview with GMA Integrated News' Ivan Mayrina, Marcos was asked to react to Senate President Francis ''Chiz'' Escudero, who said that the National Expenditure Program submitted by the executive to Congress was subject to changes by the legislature.

Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address, said that he was prepared to veto a General Appropriations Bill crafted by Congress but not in line with the NEP. He said he was ready for the reenactment of the 2025 national budget if next year's proposed allocations were not in harmony with the expenditure program.

''Trabaho naman talaga ng Congress ‘yung gagawin nila ‘yung budget. Ngunit trabaho naman namin na magbigay ng plano at humingi ng pondo sa Kongreso para lahat ng ating mga gustong gawin ay ating magagawa. At hindi nawawala, nawawaldas, nananakaw ang pera ng tao. Iyon lang naman ang habol namin,'' Marcos said.

(It's the job of Congress to craft the budget. But it's our job to provide a plan and ask for funds from Congress so that we can accomplish what we set out to do, and that the public funds would neither be lost nor stolen. That's what we want.) 

He also mentioned that those foreign-assisted projects have encountered problems when it came to the budget allocation.

''Oo, ‘yung pinakamalaking naging problema ‘yung foreign-assisted projects, tinanggal halos lahat nung funding. Kailangan natin ibalik ‘yun dahil importante ‘yung mga foreign-assisted projects. At saka sinisira pati ‘yan ang reputation natin,'' Marcos said. 

(Yes, that's the biggest problem, the funding for foreign-assisted projects was removed. We need to return that because foreign-assisted projects are important. Also, they are destroying our reputation.)

''And the worst part of this all, ‘yung napupunta kung minsan ‘yung mga project na hindi maganda, napupunta sa unappropriated. Ano ‘yun, utang ‘yun. Nangungutang tayo para mangurakot itong mga ito,'' he added.

(And the worst part of this all, the fund will be allotted for projects that are not good, or those which are unappropriated. That's considered debt. We seem to be borrowing funds so that they can misuse them.) 

The DBM defines unprogrammed appropriations as those that provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collection exceeds targets, and when additional grants or foreign funds are generated, while appropriations with definite/identified funding as of the time the budget is prepared.

Marcos was asked if he is prepared for a reenacted budget even if this will not be ''responsive'' to the plans of his administration. 

''Well, yes. I am willing to reenact the budget if that’s what we’ll have to do,'' Marcos said. 

''Since I made it already – I made New Year’s Day the hard deadline, I’m sure we will find a way. I’m sure we will find a way,'' he added.

In his SONA, Marcos said, “For the 2026 national budget, I will return any proposed Generation Appropriations bill that is not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program.”

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) defines a reenacted budget as a situation where the previous year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA) is extended and remains in effect for a preceding year until such time the Congress passes a budget bill into law.

Marcos already approved the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program for Fiscal Year 2026. The NEP will then be submitted by the President to the Congress within 30 days after the opening of the regular session. –NB, GMA Integrated News