Key 2027 House budget review delayed over tight room for revisions

MANILA, Philippines — A meeting of a sub-committee of select House members tasked to review tweaks to the 2027 budget bill was delayed on Thursday, stalling discussions on the proposed amendments to the P7.2-trillion spending plan.

The Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc) was initially scheduled to meet at 1 p.m.

However, the session was pushed back two hours to 3 p.m., according to an updated broadcast schedule on YouTube. 

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Lawmakers were earlier seen huddled in a corner of the room where the meeting will take place before reporters were ushered out.

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It was unclear what they discussed, as the media were barred from observing the proceedings in person. 

“It defeats the purpose of the livestream,” watchdog People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) Coordinator Mary Abigail Modales said.“These delays and caucuses or executive sessions are the very reason why we clamored for civil society presence during BARSc,” she noted.

READ: Budget watchdog wary of closed-door negotiations

PBC Co-convener AJ Montesa described the delay as “very concerning” and reinforced civil society’s request to allow them to observe the meeting in person. 

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“Not only did the House Appropriations Committee ignore civil society’s request for us to monitor in person; they’re doing exactly what we had been concerned about,” he observed. 

“Livestreaming the BARSc doesn’t really make anything more transparent if they’re simply having the conversations offline,” he pointed put.

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“All the BARSc will do is formalize their behind-the-scenes negotiations,” he lamented. /apl