Marcos Administration Calls for Strict Adherence to National Expenditure Program

Strategic Insights -

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has urged lawmakers to stick closely to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to submit the President's outlay to Congress within two weeks. In his State of the Nation Address, President Marcos emphasized that he would reject any proposed General Appropriations Bill not fully aligned with the NEP, even if it means reenacting the budget for the following year. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman warned that any deviation from the NEP can result in delays in project implementation, citing the veto of P194 billion worth of items in this year's P6.326-trillion national budget last December.

Key Takeaways:

  • President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has warned that he will reject any proposed General Appropriations Bill not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
  • The DBM supports the President's directive and appeals to lawmakers to adhere to the NEP as closely as possible.
  • Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman warned that any deviation from the NEP can result in delays in project implementation.
  • In December 2024, President Marcos vetoed P194 billion worth of items in this year's P6.326-trillion national budget, citing lack of alignment with government priorities.
  • More than P142 billion was inserted into the 2025 budget, mostly for infrastructure, during bicameral conference deliberations in late 2024.
  • The insertions appeared to favor specific areas such as Bulacan, Sorsogon, Mindoro, Batangas, Davao, Quezon, Cavite, Valenzuela City, and Cebu.
  • The DBM will publish the NEP on its website, and budget deliberations in Congress will be open to the public via video conferencing application Zoom and the websites of the House and the Senate.

Statistics:

  • P194 billion worth of items were vetoed by President Marcos in December 2024 due to lack of alignment with government priorities.
  • P142 billion was inserted into the 2025 budget, mostly for infrastructure, during bicameral conference deliberations in late 2024.
  • P6.326 trillion is the total national budget for the current fiscal year.
  • The NEP will be published on the DBM website.
  • Budget deliberations in Congress will be open to the public via Zoom, the House website, and the Senate website.

Sources:

  • Philippine Daily Inquirer, "DBM urges Congress to adhere to NEP, warns of project delays", no date provided.
  • Reuters, "Philippines' Marcos says will veto budget items not aligned with priorities", 2024-12-31.