The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has kicked off its series of consultations with heads of government agencies with the conduct of the National Budget Call Forum for fiscal year 2026, signaling the start of the preparatory stage for the drafting of the President’s budget for the succeeding year.
“The budget call and preparation is now officially open. So I hope, you will, on your own departments and agencies, find time to sit down with your technical staff and make sure that once you propose [your budgets], make sure it has corresponding submissions and requirements,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told cabinet officials at the start of the budget call forum, held in Pasay City yesterday.
The National Budget Call contains the parameters and procedures that guide agencies in preparing their proposed budgets.
It provides the prescribed forms and technical instructions in accomplishing the forms relative to the formulation of budget proposals and it includes the schedule of activities that will be undertaken leading to the submission of the budget documents.
While the Budget for Expenditures and Sources of Financing projects an expenditure program of P6.793 trillion for next year, the DBM said this is not the final figure, as it will be announced once the amount is finalized.
Pangandaman said the DBM will implement the Program Convergence Budgeting (PCB) approach in the preparation of the proposed national budget for 2026.
PCB aims to focus government resources on key programs and projects which shall be coordinated in a holistic approach across departments and agencies working towards the same goals.
Speaking at the budget call forum, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan likewise emphasized the importance of adopting the PCB approach as a key strategy in promoting the effective allocation of fiscal resources.
“About 5,000 PAPs (programs, activities, projects) are registered each year in the NEDA PIP (Public Investment Program) system,” Balisacan said.
“Given the sheer number of PAPs that are prepared by different agencies, as well as coordination and information constraints that all agencies confront, it is inevitable that there will be overlaps, duplication, or gaps, even as each agency aligns their proposals with the PDP (Philippine Development Plan) objectives. The PCB approach seeks to mitigate this,” he added.