Malacañang affirmed that the Philippine government remains on track to meet the target date for the passage of the P6.793 trillion 2026 national budget, assuring the public that recent changes in the administration’s economic managers will not cause delays.
In a press briefing held on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized that the newly designated heads for the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are already deeply familiar with the ongoing fiscal and budgetary processes.
“We were able to talk to Secretary Go, and according to him, on the reassignments of the Cabinet members to DOF and DBM, they are all the same people who worked on the budget, who worked on the finances. So there will be no problem with that,” Castro stated, adding confidently, “Yes, there will be [the timely passage of the national budget]. They are working on that.”
The assurance follows the announcement of key leadership changes within the economic cluster:
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto will assume the post of Executive Secretary, replacing Lucas P. Bersamin.
Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go will take over as Finance Secretary.
DBM Undersecretary Rolando U. Toledo will serve as Officer-in-Charge for the department, replacing Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
The House of Representatives previously approved the massive spending plan on October 13, and the Senate is currently conducting its final-stage plenary debates. The bicameral conference committee will soon reconcile the two versions before submitting the final bill to Malacañang for the President’s approval.
Malacañang also confirmed on Monday that President Marcos had accepted the voluntary resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. The officials stepped down to give way to the ongoing investigation into alleged anomalous flood control projects.
The President also accepted the resignation of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) head, Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin.
In accepting their resignations, President Marcos extended his profound gratitude to the outgoing officials for their exemplary leadership and invaluable contributions during their tenure.
