2027 budget bicam proceedings transcripts to be released, will help track realignments - Lacson

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The Senate will release transcripts of the discussions during the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the P7.2-trillion national budget for fiscal year 202, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Sunday.

In a statement, Lacson said the transcript would help lawmakers and the public track who pushed for realignment of specific items in the budget.

“Kailangan may minutes ‘yan para maliwanag sino nag-initiate ng amendment at sino nagtulak ng realignment,” Lacson said.

(There should be a transcript containing the minutes so it will be clear who initiated amendments and who pushed for realignments.)

He added that the Senate is also pushing for continued livestreaming of the bicam conference committee discussions.

Aside from continuing transparency measures from the 2026 budget, Lacson said the Senate also plans to identify senators who proposed amendments to the budget bill and posting the proceedings on the Senate’s website.

For the 2027 budget, Lacson said the Senate plans to invite budget advocacy groups like the People’s Budget Coalition to the bicameral proceedings to better ensure transparency.

“Panawagan ko nga vigilance is not enough. Panawagan ko sa kanila baka pwede na sila mag-resort sa shaming para pwedeng tablan ng hiya ang iba,” he said.

(I told the groups that vigilance is not enough and that they should resort to shaming against lawmakers who sneak in questionable realignments.)

Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito has committed to inviting civil society organizations (CSOs) to observe the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed budget.

Ejercito also confirmed that the bicameral deliberations which would reconcile the Senate and the House of Representatives’ differing versions of the budget bill, would also be livestreamed to allow the public to watch the proceedings in real time.

Lacson also raised concerns over the questionable coordinates in the proposed 2027 national budget flagged by budget advocacy groups.

“Akala ko malayo na ‘yung Leyte, hanggang sa marinig ko yung People’s Budget Coalition, umabot pa ng Celebes Sea. So hindi ito typo error kasi naka-geotag, dapat pinpointed talaga. Yun ang gamit nga ng geotagging, na kung saan madaling hanapin yung project at madaling ma-inspect para pag yung quality control nila, madaling malaman kung talaga nagawa yung proyekto,” the senator said.

(I thought Leyte was already far enough, until the People’s Budget Coalition flagged a project whose coordinates pointed to the Celebes Sea. So this is not a mere typo error because the projects are geotagged and should be pinpointed. That’s what geotagging is for– to make it easy to locate and inspect a project so its quality can be checked and verified.)

Meanwhile, Lacson said senators would relay Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Giovanni Lopez’s requirements for project funding, including program of works, feasibility studies, and geotagging.

The senator also said the Unified Account Code Structure (UACS) throughout the process to ensure smooth tracking of project implementation.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian had said the Senate would remove infrastructure projects worth P8.836 billion from the proposed 2027 national budget because of missing documentation from the DPWH. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA News