Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate committee on finance approved the proposed 2026 budgets of the Office of the President (OP) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday, Sept. 10, subject to possible increases.
Consistent with tradition, the panel swiftly endorsed the ₱27.36 billion budget for the OP under the National Expenditure Program. Senators raised the possibility of augmenting the allocation to support the hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
Finance committee chairman Win Gatchalian asked about expected challenges, to which Undersecretary Leonardo Cervantes cited cybersecurity. Eleven heads of state are expected to attend the first summit in May 2026, while at least 21 leaders could join the larger summit in October.“Because there would be heads of the states coming over, so might as well add some funds for cybersecurity under the Office of the President, for the protection also and for intelligence gathering before, during and after the event,” Senator Erwin Tulfo said.The budget for the Presidential Management Staff was also approved at ₱882.57 million.Meanwhile, the committee endorsed the ₱11.8 billion budget for Comelec, a significant reduction from its original request of ₱18.07 billion.Comelec Chairman George Garcia is appealing for an additional ₱8.7 billion for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, saying the funds would allow the poll body to add 10,000 more precincts and poll personnel to accommodate the growing number of voters.
