Marcos orders proposed 2027 budget to prioritize implementation-ready projects
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed that funding be prioritized for projects that are ready for immediate implementation and deliver the greatest benefit to the public, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Tuesday.
In a statement, Recto said the review of the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is ongoing after the Cabinet discussed the spending plan last week.
"Kaya dapat pawang nakatugma sa programa ng pamahalaan, ayon sa pambansang plano, at mataas ang pampublikong benepisyo ang maisama sa panukalang gastusin," Recto said following his meeting with several Cabinet members.
(The proposed expenditures should be aligned with the government's programs, consistent with the national development plan, and provide significant public benefit.)
Among those who attended the meeting were Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, and senior officials from the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Transportation, and Health.
According to the Palace, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Kim de Leon presented the highlights of the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program during a Cabinet meeting before the spending proposal was submitted to the President for review.
The Palace said Marcos wants the budget proposal prepared by the DBM to undergo careful scrutiny before it is finalized.
The 2027 National Expenditure Program will be submitted to Congress after Marcos' fifth State of the Nation of Address later this month for deliberation and approval. — VBL, GMA News