President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is expecting that there will be no “useless” congressional insertions in the proposed 2026 national budget, Malacañang said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos would not hesitate to veto the proposed budget if there were changes that do not conform to the administration’s priorities.

This, as Castro stressed that the National Expenditure Program (NEP) was carefully prepared and crafted by Marcos and his Cabinet.

“Sa pagsasagawa po nito, iniisa-isa po ito kasama ang Pangulo at lahat ng Cabinet secretaries. At kung anuman po ang nabuo dito, ibig sabihin po, iyan po ang dapat na paglalaanan ng pondo (In doing this, it is discussed individually with the President and all cabinet secretaries. And whatever is created here, that is what the funds should be allocated for),” Castro said.

“Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay. Iyan lamang po ang gusto ng Pangulo (The so-called power of the purse should not be abused and there should be no many insertions that will not be truly useful. That is all the President wants).”

Castro said Marcos is open to making bicameral budget deliberations open to the public to ensure that the spending plan is “clean.”

Asked if Marcos would veto a budget with anomalous insertions made during the budget deliberations, Castro said it would depend on the changes.

“Kung ang mga insertion na ito ay masasabi naman po natin na may kabuluhan, malamang po ay hindi ma-veto, pero kapag nakita po nila na wala naman po itong pupuntahan at maaaring madala lamang sa pang-aabuso, hindi po maga-atubili ang Pangulo na ito ay i-veto (If these insertions can be said to be meaningful, they probably won’t be vetoed, but if they are useless and could only lead to abuse, the President will not hesitate to veto them),” she said.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Tuesday warned of possible delays in the implementation of programs, activities and projects (PAPs), if there would be changes in the 2026 NEP, also known as the President’s budget.

Marcos, in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, said he would veto the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) if it is not aligned with the NEP.

The NEP is the national government’s spending plan for the next fiscal year and serves as the basis of Congress in crafting the GAB, which then becomes the General Appropriations Act once signed into law by the President.

Marcos, on July 15, approved the proposed PHP6.793-trillion budget for 2026, the country’s highest to date, which is expected to support key programs in education, infrastructure, digitalization, health, and social services. (PNA)