MANILA, Feb. 3 -- Malacanang on Monday assured the public that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has purged the 2025 national budget of unnecessary items and aligned it with national priorities.

The Palace issued the statement after the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) criticized the budget for its supposed emphasis on financial assistance programs, which they claimed foster corruption and patronage politics, particularly in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the President had taken significant steps to ensure the 2025 budget is free of unnecessary expenditures having directly vetoed the "largest amount of appropriations in history."

"No president before h...