Marcos Jr. confident of clean 2026 budget, targets corruption

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is optimistic that the government will craft a "good, clean budget" for 2026, emphasizing the need to make it harder for corrupt public officials to pilfer public funds.

Marcos made these remarks during an interview with Filipino reporters in South Korea, following the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

The President highlighted that lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate have identified potential savings during the resumption of budget hearings.

Marcos also mentioned that the administration's directive to reduce construction material costs for infrastructure projects, initially aimed at the DPWH, will be expanded to other agencies implementing projects like farm-to-market roads, classrooms, and hospitals.