Lacson: Use ‘savings’ from Senate budget cuts for El Niño preparations

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson has proposed using the savings from cuts to the Senate’s proposed 2027 budget to fund preparations for Super El Niño and other government priorities.

Lacson, who chairs the Senate accounts panel, earlier said the Senate was considering cutting about P2 billion from its proposed 2027 budget in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to set an example of fiscal discipline for the House of Representatives.

The proposed budget reduction came after the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down certain provisions of the 2024, 2025, and 2026 budgets as unconstitutional.

READ: SC: ‘Bloated’ unprogrammed funds in nat’l budget ‘unconstitutional’

Lacson said the budget cut would demonstrate the Senate’s commitment to budget reforms without affecting its operations.

According to him, if the Senate cuts up to P2 billion from its proposed 2027 budget and the House of Representatives drops its plan to add P5 billion to its 2027 budget, the combined “savings” of up to P7 billion could go to health, education, and other needs and priorities affected by insertions in the budget bill.

READ: Pangilinan calls for national state of emergency due to Super El Niño

“A projected P7 billion could mitigate the needs that the government could not immediately address, especially now that El Niño is coming. Even the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund had been slashed. We need to add funds for it,” he said.

Lacson stressed that the Senate would play a very important role in crafting the 2027 budget, with senators firmly behind Finance Committee Chair Sen. JV Ejercito.

He said the senators had expressed support for Ejercito in scrutinizing the budget measure. /mcm