The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) expresses grave concern over the President’s decision to sign into law the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) based on the ratified Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) version without removing or substantially correcting the highly questionable lump-sum and discretionary appropriations embedded in the final budget. Despite widespread public criticism and repeated warnings from economists, civil society groups, a

COMMENTARY By Hector A. Barrios, CenPEG Senior Fellow and Trustee October 15, 2025 Introduction Every year, the branches of government – Executive, Congress, Judiciary and Constitutional Commissions -- prepare their respective operating and capital plans for the next year. These plans embody what they want to achieve (objectives), how they intend to achieve them (operations and projects), and how much they need to implement them. We call the whole thing simply the 'budget.' T

COMMENTARY By Hector A. Barrios, CenPEG Fellow and Trustee October 1, 2025 Government is, of course, accountable for all its acts. The...