Puno: Key lawmakers already met prior to formal budget meeting

MANILA, Philippines — A sub-committee of ranking lawmakers tasked with reviewing proposed tweaks to the 2027 spending bill has held preparatory meetings to set the agenda and finalize the subject that will be discussed when it formally convenes, though it did not take up substantial amendments yet.

Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc) already held preliminary sessions to set the panel’s formal schedule and the flow of proceedings once lawmakers from major political parties and the minority bloc meet to discuss changes to the P7.2-trillion spending bill.

“The pre-BARSc is akin to an organizational meeting [where] they decide their schedule, and then they decide the subject matter. And when the agenda is completed, they will start regular conferences already,” he said at a media briefing in mixed English and Filipino.

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Puno’s comments came as the political party he leads, the National Unity Party, voiced frustration over delayed funding for infrastructure works and social assistance programs across its members’ legislative districts.

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The party also bared a list of special provisions it wants inserted in the 2027 budget to ensure funds are released in a timely manner, particularly by removing “for later release” tags for specific projects. This would ensure that project allotments are released within a budget’s implementation year, NUP said.

READ: NUP demands changes to proposed 2027 budget over district funding delays

Guimaras Rep. Joaquin Carlos Rahman Nava, an NUP representative to BARSc, said the special panel began meeting on Monday, when they discussed the “mechanics and flow” of the proceedings, alongside budget requests from agencies.

“That’s as far as it goes, so far,” he said.

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Lawmakers received “many” agency-backed amendments to the spending plan, according to Bataan Rep. Albert “Abet” Garcia, the House Appropriations Committee’s senior vice chairman.

“And of course, we also consider the recommendations of the civil society plus the different sponsors of the departments,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an appropriations committee meeting.

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Though Garcia clarified that no “pre-BARSc” sessions had been held. Instead, committee leaders responsible for sponsoring agency budgets on the House floor have been meeting regularly, both formally and informally, to iron out amendments prior to the sub-committee’s formal convening.

“Maybe that’s what they’re referring to as pre-BARSc. But it’s normal for the vice chairs to discuss possible amendments in their respective agencies,” he said.

READ: Budget watchdog wary of closed-door negotiations

The House has entered the final stages of its budget process after wrapping up floor debates on the budget bill last week, and proposed amendments are expected to be introduced in the spending plan by lawmakers before they pass it on final reading by Oct. 9.

On Tuesday, watchdog People’s Budget Coalition expressed concern that changes to the proposed budget are already being negotiated behind closed doors, as it warned that any subsequent public hearings may be viewed as merely for show.

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“Our honest worry is that they are doing the negotiations behind closed doors, and that the BARSc is just a way to make the arranged things public already,” budget watchdog People’s Budget Coalition co-convener AJ Montesa said. /cb