Cabinet officials seek to finalize 2027 priority spending

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto recently led a meeting of key Cabinet officials to review the implementation of their agencies’ respective budgets for this year and to finalize priority spending for 2027.

According to the Office of the Executive Secretary, the meeting was convened on Monday, June 22, 2026, in line with the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “to regularly monitor national budget utilization, resolve implementation delays, and ensure that public funds are used effectively to deliver the greatest benefits to the people.”

“We need to closely track the execution of the 2026 budget and finalize the 2027 national budget," Recto said in a statement.

"Let us get our act together and ensure that our programs and projects are delivered faster in the second half of the year,” he added.

During the meeting, Recto also reviewed the progress of the government’s United Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) interventions.

UPLIFT is a whole-of-government framework established in March through Executive Order No. 110, seeking to address the economic impacts of the Middle East crisis and rising fuel prices.

The Cabinet meeting was attended by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Budget Secretary Kim de Leon, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, and Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Baliscan.

Senior officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Agriculture were also present. — Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA News