MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed optimism that the government will have a “good, clean budget” for 2026, emphasizing his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability in public spending.

“I think it will be. We will be able to show that it is in fact possible to write a good, clean budget,” Marcos told reporters during a press briefing after the conclusion of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea.

The President made the statement when asked whether the public can expect intensified anti-corruption efforts from his administration.

His remarks echoed his earlier announcement that the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 will be livestreamed to “further encourage transparency.”

The bicameral deliberations serve as a platform for the Senate and the House of Representatives to reconcile differing provisions in their respective budget versions before the final measure is signed by the President into law as the General Appropriations Act.

The move also answers calls from lawmakers advocating greater public access to the budget process.

In July, Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, Akbayan party-list Reps. Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula, along with Albay Rep. Krisel Lagman, filed Joint Resolution No. 2, which seeks to open bicameral deliberations to the public, either through in-person attendance or by livestreaming the proceedings online.