JV Ejercito flags ‘major changes’ in House-approved 2027 budget bill

PRIVILEGE SPEECH. Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito delivers a privilege speech during the Senate plenary session on January 27.

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'The cuts to preventive health programs are substantial, while medical assistance has increased,' says Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito

AT A GLANCE

• Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito criticized the House-approved version of the 2027 budget over significant cuts to preventive health programs and infrastructure projects, including reductions in immunization and health facility enhancement funding.
• The House version of the budget increased funding for medical assistance programs while making substantial cuts to preventive health care, raising concerns about the implications for Universal Health Care.

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MANILA, Philippines – Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito on Wednesday, October 14, flagged billions of pesos in reductions to preventive health programs and infrastructure projects in the House-approved version of the P7.2-trillion 2027 general appropriations bill (GAB).

Ejercito said in a news briefing that the House version of the budget bill, which the Senate formally received on Tuesday, had major changes compared to the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), including a P130-billion reduction in foreign-assisted projects, a P9.5-billion cut in calamity funds, and billions of pesos in reductions to health programs.

The “major changes” include a P4-billion reduction in the Department of Health’s (DOH) immunization program and a P4.5-billion cut in the DOH-Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), which funds the improvement and expansion of government health facilities. He also cited a P2.6-billion reduction in right-of-way funding and a P4.6-billion cut in funding for flood mitigation structures within major river basins.

The House version of the budget bill increased funding for the DOH’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) by P23.9 billion, allocated P10 billion for a new Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk program under the Department of Agriculture, and added P8.04 billion for flood mitigation structures under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“The cuts to preventive health programs are substantial, while medical assistance has increased. This is a puzzle for me because one of the key factors of Universal Health Care (UHC) is strengthening preventive care, yet that is what they reduced,” Ejercito said in Filipino.

“What are we supposed to do with this? Remove funding for immunization and health promotion, then provide medical assistance when people get sick?” he added.

Ejercito said the Senate received the House-approved GAB late Tuesday afternoon, and that copies have been distributed to the senators. An October 23 deadline was set for the Senate finance committee vice chairpersons to submit their committee reports.

The Senate temporarily paused from its impeachment court duties starting October 14 in view of the ongoing committee hearings for the proposed 2027 national budget. 

Ejercito said the chamber is targeting to finish all budget-related committee hearings by October 23 before it goes on a brief recess. The senator also said he is eyeing to sponsor the 2027 budget bill in the Senate plenary by November 23, and have it approved by the second week of December. 

“We are also planning to continue what Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian did when he was the finance chairperson — livestream the bicameral conference committee to ensure transparency. We are also keeping in touch with CSOs, the academe, and other watchdogs and will meet them to hear their observations on October 26,” said Ejercito.

The House of Representatives approved the proposed 2027 budget on Monday amid concerns from some lawmakers and civil society organizations (CSOs) that the spending plan is riddled with pork barrel allocations. – Rappler.com