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The government is using P238 billion from the 2026 budget for emergency measures to mitigate the Middle East crisis, but this amount is only good for over 3 and a half months
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to the proposed postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), set for November 2 this year, if it will help save funds amid the Middle East crisis, Malacañang said on Friday, April 17.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, in a news briefing in Iloilo City, cited the P16-billion fund that the government could save if the November 2 elections are postponed anew.
“Ang Pangulo at ang gobyerno pong ito ay open sa lahat ng maaaring suggestion na siyang makakabuti sa ating bansa,” Castro said.
(The President and the government are open to all suggestions that would benefit the country.)
Castro made the statement days after Bacolod City Representative Albee Benitez called for the six-month postponement of the BSKE and for the election funds to be realigned to programs that will mitigate the impact of the Middle East crisis on Filipinos.
Marcos signed Republic Act No.12232 into law in August 2025, postponing the December 2025 BSKE to the first Monday of November 2026.
The last barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections were held in October 2023.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia earlier said that while he understood the intent of the proposal, realigning election funds for other purposes may be deemed unconstitutional.
Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told a Senate hearing on Monday, April 13 that the Department of Budget and Management had identified and is using P238 billion from the 2026 budget to support emergency measures for the Middle East crisis. However, he and Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo acknowledged that this was good only for around three and a half months.
The impacts of the Middle East crisis, such as high fuel prices, faster inflation, supply-chain disruptions, are expected to last more than a year.
Balisacan also said it may not be wise to have a supplemental budget, similar to what the Rodrigo Duterte administration did during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the Philippines’ worse fiscal situation.
Bureau of the Treasury data show that the country’s budget deficit stood at P171.2 billion as of the end of February, whille the national debt climbed to P18.16 trillion.
“When COVID hit us, we [had a] very good fiscal picture. The deficit was low, the debt was low, but this time we don’t have that luxury,” he said. – Rappler.com
