Senate finance panel swiftly approves Marcos’ office budget

MANILA, Philippines — Observing tradition and parliamentary courtesy accorded to a coequal branch of government, the Senate committee on finance swiftly approved on Wednesday the proposed P10.15-billion budget for the Office of the President (OP) for 2027, marking it “deemed submitted” for plenary consideration.

The committee also approved the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) budget in less than 20 minutes.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian cited “inter-senator courtesy” since Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, who presented the OP’s proposed budget, was a former senator.

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“Typically we give interparliamentary courtesy to the Office of the President, but it is not just interparliamentary courtesy, we also have inter-senator courtesy because the head is a former inter-colleague,” Gatchalian explained.

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READ: House panel ends OP budget briefing in less than an hour

Sen. Joel Villanueva shared Gatchalian’s view.

“It’s so weird to see our former colleague on the other side of the table,” Villanueva said.

According to Recto, the OP’s proposed spending plan for next year represents only a small portion of the P7.2-trillion national budget and is 64 percent lower than the 2026 budget.

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“Rest assured, we crafted this proposed budget strictly within the parameters and processes established by the Department of Budget and Management. We sought no special treatment. We submit this proposal to Congress’ constitutional authority and with readiness to answer any and all of your questions,” he said.

In an interview with reporters, Recto said that despite the fast approval of the proposed allocation, it is still expected to be deliberated in the Senate plenary. /mcm