Officials with budget 'insertions' should've learned their lessons —Palace

Government officials allegedly involved in the anomalies and insertions in the controversial 2025 national budget should already learn their lessons, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Monday. 

At a press briefing, Castro was asked what were the lessons learned in the 2025 budget and what steps are needed so that the ill practices will no longer happen again. 

''Katulad ng sinabi natin, gusto po talaga ng Pangulo na iyong budget ay tama at maibigay sa tamang programa para sa kinabukasan at kapakinabangan ng taumbayan. Mas maganda po sigurong maitanong ito doon sa mga naglagay ng insertions, ano po ang lesson learned nila? Dahil siguro po sa nakikita po natin at naipapakita na galit ng taumbayan na siya rin pong nararamdaman ng Pangulo, nakita po natin na dapat sila ay matuto na na tumupad sa kanilang mandato na maging tunay na public servant,'' Castro said.

(Just like what we said, the President wants to ensure that the budget will be properly used and it will be allocated to programs that will benefit the public. It's better if we will ask those who inserted in the budget, what are the lessons that they learned? Because of the public's outrage and the President's anger, they should learn to abide by their sworn mandate to be real public servants.) 

The Palace official further said that the 2026 national budget would be properly used. 

''At sinabi po ng Pangulo even before na kung mayroon mang magkakamali o magiging anomalyang muli ang gagawin na budget sa 2026, iyan po ay kaniyang ibi-veto. So, makakasiguro po tayo with all these things happening, makakaasa po ang taumbayan na magiging maayos ang 2026 budget at hindi po pahihintulutan ng Pangulo ang mga maanomalyang proyekto,'' she said. 

(The President also said before that if he sees anomalies in the 2026 budget, he will veto it. So, we can guarantee that with all these things happening, the public can expect that the 2026 budget will be used properly and the President will not allow anomalous projects.) 

In his fourth SONA, the President made an unprecedented declaration that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026 as he warned that he will veto a proposed budget bill that will not be in harmony with his administration’s programs and priorities.

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

Meanwhile, asked about the remark of Senator Panfilo ''Ping'' Lacson that almost all the senators of the 19th Congress inserted at least P100 billion worth of items in the 2025 GAA, Castro said the President does not know these supposed insertions. 

''Noon pong naisagawa po ang budget, definitely hindi po detalyado ang kaniyang pagkakaalam, kung ano ba ang mga insertions ng mga nasabing senador,'' Castro said.

(When the budget was crafted, his knowledge of these supposed insertions were not detailed.)

''Pero ngayon po dahil nakita po talaga at napansin po talaga ng Pangulo na anong nangyari sa pondo para sa flood control projects at ito ay naging bunga na rin para malaman ang mga ganiyang klaseng insertions,'' she added. 

(But now that the President already noticed what happened in these flood control projects, this gave way to knowing what happened in those insertions.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News