Ejercito: Senate ready to correct House budget version if needed

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will conduct an independent review of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 and correct its own version if the review finds problems in the House-approved bill.

Sen. JV Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, gave that assurance in a statement on Tuesday.

The House has approved the General Appropriations Bill on third and final reading, but Ejercito’s committee has not received it.

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“Once we receive it, we will conduct our own independent review. We won’t just accept whatever the House passes on to us,” Ejercito said in a mix of English and Filipino.

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“If we see in our review that there are unreasonable reallocations or if there are important programs that are short in funding, then we should pursue the necessary corrections in the Senate version,” he added.

READ: ‘Politics-centered’ 2027 budget looms in House, says watchdog

Ejercito acknowledged the concerns raised by budget watchdogs and civil society groups over the realignment in the House version.

“These are serious questions that deserve serious scrutiny to determine if the allocation of funds is correct,” he said. 

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Amending the budget is part of the legislative process, but he stressed that any change should have a clear basis that can be explained to the public.

As finance chair, Ejercito said he would stay true to his earlier commitments and advocacies and push for basic services, such as improving hospital infrastructure and medical equipment, expanding zero-balance billing, and improving packages of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

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He also called for a stronger calamity fund to prepare for the Super El Niño, noting initial reports of a large cut to the fund.

Ejercito also raised concerns over initial findings of steep cuts to foreign-assisted projects, especially railways funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), such as the North-South Commuter Railway and the Metro Manila Subway System.

He warned that delays in payment to those projects could amount to default and strain Philippine ties with Japan, where Senate leaders are set to make a parliamentary visit.

READ: Watchdogs question transparency in House OK of 2027 budget bill

He vowed to continue the transparency reforms started by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, when the latter chaired the finance committee. Civil society organizations and budget watchdogs will take part in the process, not just observe. The committee will hold a one-to-two-day briefing with them before it prepares its committee report. Any red flags they raise will be put to the agencies.

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“One of the most challenging times to be finance chair is right after the flood control scam. The challenge is great to restore our people’s trust in the budget process,” he said. /atm