The national budget offers a perspective on the expected debate on whether the country will progress faster under a federal form of government, which is one of the main political goals of presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte.
This year, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
allocated approximately P428.5 billion to the National Capital Region (NCR), excluding expenses for Congress and the Offices of the President and the Vice President. Metro Manila alone will account for 14.27 percent of the country's P3 trillion-2016 budget.