PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed optimism that his administration will craft a “good, clean budget” for 2026, emphasizing the need to make it increasingly difficult for corrupt officials to misuse public funds.
Speaking to Filipino reporters in South Korea following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Marcos stated that the government is focused on reducing the cost of construction materials for infrastructure projects and identifying potential savings across various agencies.
“Even now, upon the resumption of budget hearings, both the House of Representatives and the Senate have identified areas where we can achieve more savings,” Marcos said, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) released on Sunday.
“I think we will be able to show that it is, in fact, possible to write a good, clean budget,” he added.
Before departing for South Korea last week, Marcos announced that his earlier directive for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cut infrastructure costs by up to 50% will now be extended to other agencies implementing projects, such as farm-to-market roads, classrooms, hospitals, and irrigation systems.
The President said the DPWH’s cost-cutting initiative alone could save the government between P30 billion and P45 billion, which could then be redirected to health, education, and other essential sectors.
Marcos also reiterated his administration’s commitment to tightening anti-corruption systems within the bureaucracy.
“Whatever you do, there will always be people who will try to cheat the government. But if the systems are in place, you make it harder and harder for those people to commit corruption,” he said.
He added that while corruption cannot be eliminated overnight, stronger systems can gradually reduce it.
“The harder it becomes, the smaller the number of people who continue to operate under corrupt practices. It’s an ongoing effort, not something that can be solved in one fell swoop,” Marcos noted.