Senate receives copy of proposed 2026 national budget
Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero received a copy of the proposed 2026 national budget from Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
Also present at the turnover ceremony were Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, and other executives.
Earlier on Wednesday, the DBM also submitted the 2026 NEP to the House of Representatives.
Following the submission, Congress will hold hearings to scrutinize the proposed allocations and approve the General Appropriations Bill, which, once the President signs it, becomes the General Appropriations Act (GAA). —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
Proposed defense budget up 14%; P40 billion for AFP modernization
S-70i Black Hawk helicopters newly acquired by the Philippine Air Force are blessed during a ceremony at Clark Air Base, Mabalacat City, Pampanga, on August 13, 2025. Photo: Philippine Air Force The defense sector has received a total of P430.87 billion in the proposed 2026 national budget, almost 14% higher than its P378.89 billion actual budget in 2025, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said. Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) FY 2026, the DBM said most of the amount is intended for the defense programs of the land, air, and naval forces to boost the country's capabilities. A total of P40 billion budget is also set for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Revised Modernization Program. 'The Defense sector will receive Php 430.87 billion, reflecting a Php 51.98 billion or 13.72 percent increase from the FY 2025 GAA level to strengthen our defense capabilities, mostly for the Land (Php 116.31 billion), Air (Php 54.10 billion), and Naval (Php 53.73 billion) Forces Defense Programs of the AFP, including provision for the Revised AFP Modernization Program (Php 40.00 billion),' the DBM said. The DBM on Wednesday submitted the P6.793-trillion NEP to the House of Representatives. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. last week said the Philippines is in the process of procuring more BrahMos missiles from India. ''The Philippines is in the midst of modernization of our military and so we are looking to see what's most suitable for our defensive needs. Let me be clear, we are not gearing up for war, we are simply reacting to the challenges that we are facing,'' he said. On Wednesday, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted and conducted dangerous maneuvers against a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft near Bajo de Masinloc. On Monday, several Chinese vessels also harassed Philippine vessels by using a water cannon, performing dangerous maneuvers, and shadowing. Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim. The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." China has refused to recognize the decision. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
DBM allots P40B for 3rd tranche of gov't workers' salary hike
Civilian government workers should expect another round of increases in their salaries next year. At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum on Thursday, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated about P40 billion in the proposed P6.79-trillion national budget for 2026 'for the third tranche of Salary Standardization… effective January 1 next year.' 'That's four tranches until 2027,' Pangandaman said. The yearly salary increase for civilian government workers was pursuant to Executive Order 64, which was signed by President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. in August 2024. Marcos' EO 64 states that the updated Salary Schedule shall be implemented in national government agencies in four tranches, with the first implementation on January 1, 2024; the second on January 1, 2025; the third on January 1, 2026; and the fourth and final tranche beginning on January 1, 2027. This applies to all civilian government personnel, now existing or hereafter created in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, the constitutional commissions and other constitutional offices, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) not covered by Republic Act 10149 and EO 150, s. 2021, regardless of appointment status, whether regular, casual, or contractual; appointive or elective; and on a full-time or part-time basis. This shall not apply to military and uniformed personnel; government agencies that are exempt from RA 6758; GOCCs under RA 10149 and EO150; individuals engaged without employer-employee relationship and funded from non-Personnel Services appropriations/budgets, such as consultants and experts engaged for a limited period to perform specific activities or services with expected outputs, laborers engaged through job contracts (pakyaw) and those paid on a piecework basis, student workers and apprentices, and those whose services are engaged through job orders, contracts of service, or others similarly situated. The second tranche was implemented on January 1, 2025. Under the four-tranche salary standardization initiative, a typical government employee under Salary Grade 15, for example, could expect a minimum monthly salary of P42,178—an increment from the current P40,208 under the second tranche of the scheduled wage adjustment for bureaucratic workers. Also under the initiative, each of the salary grades from 1 to 32 has eight salary steps to determine the rate of salary depending on the length of service in the position. Only Salary Grade 33, the highest level, has two steps in the latest salary adjustment schedule. The first step represents the minimum or the hiring rate for the position or salary grade, while the second to seventh steps are the intermediate rates. The eighth step is the maximum salary rate. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace defends OP request of confi, intel funds worth P4.5B
Malacañang defended Thursday the request of the Office of the President for a confidential and intelligence fund, saying that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is the chief architect of the country's security and foreign policy. ''Tandaan po natin, ito din naman po ay nanggaling sa DBM, that the President is the commander-in-chief and chief architect of national policy or national security and foreign policy at kinakailangan ng pondo ng Pangulo,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said at a briefing. (Let's remember, this also came from the DBM, that the President is the commander-in-chief and chief architect of national policy or national security and foreign policy; therefore, his office needs funds.) ''Ang tandaan po natin, ang confidential funds o ang pera ay hindi naman masama kung ginagamit sa tama. Ang confidential funds or pondo ay nagiging masama kung ginagamit ng isang corrupt iyon lang naman po,'' Castro added. (Let's remember that confidential funds are not bad as long as they are properly used. It would be bad if this will be used for corruption.) The Marcos administration is proposing over P10 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) under the Fiscal Year 2026 P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP). The Department of Budget and Management said the Office of the President would get the highest CIF allocation at P4.5 billion, followed by the Department of National Defense with P1.848 billion. Confidential funds refer to allocations in the national budget, as its name suggests, for confidential expenses involving surveillance activities in civilian government agencies Likewise, intelligence funds are meant for expenses related to intelligence activities or information gathering activities of the military, uniformed personnel, and other intelligence agencies tasked with ensuring national security. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
