EXECUTIVE Secretary Ralph Recto convened key Cabinet officials to review the implementation of their agencies’ respective budgets for this year and to finalize priority spending for 2027 as the government works to accelerate service delivery, Malacañang said Thursday.
Recto led the budget review meeting on Monday, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to regularly monitor national budget utilization.
The meeting was also held to address implementation delays and ensure that public funds are used effectively to deliver the greatest benefits to the people, the Office of the Executive Secretary said in a statement.
“We need to closely track the execution of the 2026 budget and finalize the 2027 national budget,” Recto said during the meeting.
Recto also assessed the status of agency budget implementation and urged departments to accelerate the delivery of government services.
He emphasized the need to ensure the immediate implementation of priority programs and projects in the second half of 2026.
“Let us get our act together and ensure that our programs and projects are delivered faster in the second half of the year,” he added.
The executive secretary also reviewed the progress of the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (Uplift) interventions, stressing the importance of prioritizing initiatives that provide immediate assistance to vulnerable sectors.
The Uplift Committee, established under Executive Order 110, coordinates government efforts to ensure the uninterrupted flow of fuel and other essential goods, as well as to protect vulnerable sectors from rising costs amid the war in the Middle East.
Among those who attended the meeting were Budget Secretary Kim de Leon, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, and Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Baliscan.
Senior officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Agriculture also participated in the discussions.
