Malacañang said that the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 budget will face rigorous scrutiny from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who remains prepared to veto questionable line items after watchdogs claimed the bill contains P1 trillion in suspected discretionary or ‘pork’ funds.
However, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressed the Chief Executive will not interfere with Congress as it prepares the 2027 General Appropriations Bill.
In a press briefing last Tuesday, she said all of the line items under the Bill are still subject to change until it is signed by Marcos.
‘The budget is yet to be finalized; it will be thoroughly scrutinized, as the Senate has promised. It will still go through the bicameral conference committee and be reviewed by the President’s economic team before it is signed,’ she said in Filipino.
‘Therefore, please do not prematurely claim that there are anomalies or that the administration is at fault. I hope the narrative is not spun in that direction by others,’ she added.
The House of Representatives already passed its version of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, House Bill No. 10858, while the Senate is targeting to finalize its counterpart of the said piece of legislation after the resumption of its sessions on 9 November 2026.
The People’s Budget Coalition has flagged P1 trillion of House Bill No. 10858, which it suspected as pork barrel or government funds used by politicians for pet projects that aim to please voters.
Castro assured that the Chief Executive will not allow any ‘baseless’ budget amendments.
‘The President will not allow any budget amendments that lack sufficient documentation, proper descriptions, or concrete projects. The President will not permit that,’ she said.
The Presidential Communications Office undersecretary said that Marcos will veto such anomalous provisions of the proposed budget as he did in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In a related development, Castro said the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will file its appeal on the Supreme Court ruling declaring unconstitutional the 2024 and 2025 national budget as well as some provisions of the 2026 GAA on Wednesday.
The OSG earlier said that the High Court may have committed judicial overreach when it imposed stricter guardrails than was set by Congress, which has the power of the purse, on unprogrammed appropriations, which may hamper government budget utilization.
Solicitor General Darlene Marie B. Berberabe said they hope the Supreme Court will promptly address their motion for reconsideration.
Castro said they will announce how new ruling affect the implementation of government programs this year.