House votes 281-13 to pass 2027 budget

Lawmakers stamped their approval on House Bill 10858, or the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, which allocates funds for the entire government, including independent agencies.

Philstar.com / File

MANILA, Philippines — Voting 281-13 with one abstention, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading last night the Marcos administration’s proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.

Lawmakers stamped their approval on House Bill 10858, or the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, which allocates funds for the entire government, including independent agencies.

The Department of Education received the biggest allocation at P1.10 trillion.

Among those who voted against the measure was independent Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, who described the proposed budget as one that “rewards political allies, penalizes critics and protects political interests at the expense of Filipinos.”

“I am ashamed of the Filipino people because, despite the corruption scandals and questionable budget insertions of previous years, we appear to have learned nothing,” Erice said.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula also voted against the bill, calling for health funding to be entrusted to medical experts rather than politicians.

“This is not a question of a lack of fiscal space but of political will and empathy. We allowed our budget allocation for health care to be inadequate while we have allotted billions of pesos to items that don’t directly save the lives of our countrymen,” she said.

Stricter rules

With the approved budget, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is now preparing stricter government spending rules to curb wasteful expenditures, including year-end parties disguised as official planning sessions.

Acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said the agency would introduce policy revisions to ensure public funds are spent prudently, particularly in the fourth quarter when spending typically increases.

“Especially now that we are in the fourth quarter, so surely there will be a surge in utilization because there will be parties left and right masquerading as planning sessions,” he said.

De Leon said agencies should be assessed based on the results of their spending, not simply on how much of their budgets they use.

“Don’t just look at, ‘We spent 98 percent of the budget.’ On what?” he said. “We’re looking at the quality of spending. You may be spending less but producing more in terms of output and even outcome.”

DBM data showed that notices of cash allocation rose eight percent to P3.62 trillion as of end-August from P3.36 trillion a year earlier.

However, government agencies’ utilization rate fell to 92.7 percent from 93.8 percent. — Aubrey Rose Inosante, Elijah Felice Rosales