Sherwin Gatchalian: Recalling 2027 budget 'unnecessary;' Senate to do corrections

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Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that it is not necessary for the House of Representatives to recall its version of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, as the upper chamber will already do the corrections pursuant to the recent Supreme Court decision.

This came after members of the Makabayan Bloc urged the recall of the House-approved P7.2 trillion proposed national budget for 2027, in light of the SC decision declaring the 2024, 2025, and portions of 2026 national budget unconstitutional.

“Not necessary naman dahil papasok na kami sa consolidation ng budget dito, so we can do the correction ourselves. So that hindi made-delay ‘yung budget process, dito na namin iko-correct,” Gatchalian said in an ambush interview.

(It’s not really necessary, since we are about to begin the budget consolidation process and we can handle the corrections ourselves. We’ll make the necessary corrections here so that the budget process isn’t delayed.)

“And looking at ‘yung Supreme Court decision, on the 2026 budget, onti lang naman ‘yung maapektuhan. So, hindi ko nakikita [na] malaking correction ang gagawin dito sa 2027 budget. Of course, we'll take note of the other issues, but, kaya na namin i-correct,” he added.

(And regarding the Supreme Court decision, specifically on the 2026 budget, only a small portion will be affected. Therefore, I don’t see any major corrections necessary for the 2027 budget. Of course, we will take note of the other issues, but we are capable of making the corrections ourselves.)

In a landmark decision, the SC struck down the General Appropriations Acts (GAAs) for 2024 and 2025 after Congress added appropriations beyond what the President had recommended in the National Expenditure Program.

Specifically, the 2024 budget was voided due to a P449.5-billion increase in unprogrammed appropriations, while the 2025 budget was struck down because of the additional P17.99 billion for the Special Road Fund of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The High Court likewise deemed as unconstitutional Special Provisions 1(a) and (b) of Chapter XLIII in the 2026 GAA, which authorized unprogrammed appropriations.

Senate to comply

Gatchalian said the Senate will comply with the SC decision without prejudice to the motion for reconsideration that will be filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to ensure that the 2027 budget will not be unconstitutional.

“We will make sure. First, we will comply with the Supreme Court ruling,” he said.

“Of course, hindi na lalampas rin dahil isa sa pinakamahalagang decision ng Supreme Court,. ‘wag ka lumampas doon sa proposal ng Presidente. So, 2026, hindi naman lumampas and we will make sure 2027 hindi rin,” he added.

(Of course, we will ensure that the 2027 budget won’t go beyond the President’s proposal because that’s one of the most significant rulings of the Supreme Court. It did not exceed in 2026, and we will make sure that it won’t for 2027 either.)

The Senate President likewise assured that the 2027 budget will not be an “election budget” that can be used for the 2028 national elections.

“The 2027 budget will be a budget that will be responsive to the needs and the requirements of the country…to boost our economy, to respond to inflation, and to respond to El Niño,” Gatchalian said. — RSJ, GMA News