Manila, Jan. 6 -- The close coordination between the legislative and executive branches in crafting the 2026 national budget helped prevent implementation problems seen in previous years, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Tuesday.

Gatchalian thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for closely monitoring the budget process, noting that while the preparation of the General Appropriations Act is a legislative function, coordination with the executive remains crucial.

"Unang-una nagpapasalamat tayo sa ating Pangulo dahil nasabi niya rin kahapon sa kanyang statement na talagang tinutukan niya itong budget na ito (First of all, we thank our President because he also said in his statement yesterday that he closely monitored this budget)," G...