MALACAÑANG hit back at several members of the House of Representatives (HoR) for allegedly trying to blame the executive branch for issues surrounding the national budget amid the ongoing investigation on anomalous flood control projects.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin urged the lower chamber to “clean your house first” and heed to the demand of the people for full accountability.
“The Cabinet strongly objects to the recent spins coming from certain members of the House of Representatives who are thereby attempting to shift the blame for their own corruption and failures onto the Executive Branch,” he said in a statement.
“The Members of the Cabinet will not tolerate any attack on the integrity and reputation of the Executive Branch, and any effort to hold the budget process hostage by political theatrics,” he added.
Bersamin said all investigations on the anomalies in flood control projects will be “futile if the sources of corruption remain unchecked.”
Earlier, leaders of the House of Representatives said they are inclined to return the 2026 National Expenditures Program (NEP), which contains the proposed P6.7-trillion budget for the upcoming year to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the correction of some erroneous entries.
Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Representative Ronaldo Puno earlier noted the zero allocations for multi-year programs, as well as provisions allocating budget to government projects that are already finished in the 2026 NEP.
During the briefing by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 NEP on September 2, lawmakers in the Senate flagged several “suspicious” items for the flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), particularly those with similar costings, as well as for the duplications.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will not sign a 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that is not fully aligned with the NEP “even if we end up having a reenacted budget.”
The GAA is a law that authorizes the government to spend public funds for specific purposes over a fiscal year. It is essentially the national budget, detailing how much money each branch, department, agency, and program of the government will receive and how it must be spent.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman earlier warned of the serious economic implications of a reenacted budget.
She assured that the executive branch is ready to work closely with Congress to resolve issues and avoid a potentially damaging reenacted budget scenario.
The DBM and DPWH also committed to a maximum two-week review of the DPWH's proposed projects with a goal of ensuring the integrity of public spending without derailing the legislative calendar. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)