Metro Manila, Philippines – Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito vowed to prevent last-minute budget insertions and post-enactment interventions as Congress begins scrutiny of the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.
In a statement on Saturday, Aug. 15, Ejercito said the proposed amendments will have to go through the legislative mill, with budget deliberations opened to greater public scrutiny.
“We will prevent last-minute insertions and even post-enactment interventions,” Ejercito said.
The senator said he will push to open all budget hearings, including proceedings of the bicameral conference committee, to the public.
“Gagawin nating open to the public ang lahat ng hearing hanggang sa Bicameral Conference Committee. Ang bicam ay hindi dapat maging backdoor para baguhin ang mga pondong dumaan na sa masusing pagdinig ng Senado at Kamara,” he said.
(Translation: We will make all hearings open to the public, including the Bicameral Conference Committee. The bicam should not become a backdoor for changing funds that have already undergone thorough scrutiny in the Senate and the House.)
The lawmaker said budget information will also be made available online to allow the public to track changes from the National Expenditure Program, or NEP, through the House and Senate versions and the final bicameral output.
Ejercito said his committee will watch for allocations that suddenly increase significantly as the proposed budget moves through Congress.
“Pag yung NEP po, halimbawa ₱2 billion, tapos kinalabasan ng bicam o paglabas ng GAB, naging ₱16 billion o ₱18 billion, ’yun kahina-hinala,” he said.
(Translation: If the NEP, for example, provides ₱2 billion and then after the bicam or in the General Appropriations Bill it becomes ₱16 billion or ₱18 billion, that is suspicious.)
“Yan po, iiwasan at hindi na ho mangyayari. We will flag those districts na bigla na lang lumulobo,” Ejercito added.
(Translation: We will prevent that and it will no longer happen. We will flag districts whose allocations suddenly balloon.)
Ejercito, however, said the policy does not mean Congress will stop making legitimate amendments to the proposed budget.
He said the Senate traditionally makes institutional amendments for national programs that lawmakers believe require additional funding.
“I think that’s what differentiates the Senate,” Ejercito said.
He cited the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program, particularly amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
“Pag nakita naming halimbawa ang issue ng West Philippine Sea, kailangan na suportahan ng Armed Forces, hindi tayo papayag na magkaroon ng budget cut,” he said.
(Translation: If we see, for example, the situation in the West Philippine Sea and the Armed Forces needs support, we will not allow its budget to be cut.)
Ejercito said project requests from local governments and budget adjustments proposed by departments and agencies could also be considered as long as they undergo the proper process.
“We as senators can only propose, but it’s the agencies or departments that will validate,” he said.
He maintained that lawmakers should have no role in determining how projects are implemented after the budget has been enacted.
Lump-sum in 2027 budget
Separately, Senator Ping Lacson said Saturday that his team had found what he described as questionable lump-sum appropriations for infrastructure projects in the proposed 2027 NEP.
“We spotted lump sum appropriations that we don’t think should be lump sum,” Lacson said in a statement.
Lacson said he will seek clarification from government officials, possibly during the Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing initially scheduled for Aug. 27.
He also backed Ejercito’s commitment against adding new items during the bicameral conference committee that were not contained in either chamber’s version of the budget.
“I hope this year that under Sen. JV’s chairmanship, he will fulfill his promise not to allow insertions in the bicam level,” Lacson said.
