The Philippine government has submitted a PHP 6.793 trillion ($118 billion) national budget proposal for 2026, the Department of Budget and Management said. To help finance the plan, Manila expects to raise about $47 billion in new borrowing next year—slightly more than the target for 2025. The spending blueprint sets aside PHP 10.77 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, of which PHP 4.5 billion would go to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office for a seventh straight year. The Department of National Defense would receive PHP 1.8 billion, while the Office of the Vice President is allocated no such funds for the second consecutive year. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman noted that the requested outlay for secret funds is lower than the PHP 12.1 billion approved for 2025. The proposal now heads to Congress, where lawmakers will review the borrowing plan and scrutinize the distribution of the difficult-to-audit funds before passing the 2026 General Appropriations Act.