Senate to scrutinize House realignments in 2027 budget bill

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate will closely examine the nearly P200 billion in realignments reportedly made by the House of Representatives in the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget.

This as according to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday, a day after the  House passed the General Appropriation Bill.

“Malaki-laki rin yung amount. Almost P200 billion rin yung lumipat sa loob ng budget, P199 to be exact. So titignan namin mabuti yan at titignan rin natin ng maigi kung bakit ganun kalaki ang realignment,” Gatchalian said in an interview over DZRH .

(The amount is quite substantial. Almost P200 billion was realigned within the budget—P199 billion, to be exact. We will look into this closely and examine why the realignment was so large.)

Gatchalian cited for instance the reported budget reductions for foreign-assisted projects, such as  the Metro Manila subway and railways, as some of the cuts were  realigned to medical assistance and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.

“Itong mga project na ito, importante rin dahil yung medical assistance, tumutulong sa tao, yung assistance to individuals in crisis nakakatulong din sa tao pero babalansehin din natin dahil importante rin ang infrastructure projects,” Gatchalian said.

(These projects are also important because medical assistance helps people, and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program also provides support to those in need. However, we have to strike a balance because infrastructure projects are also important.)

“So babalansahin rin natin na hindi naman nasa sacrifice yung mga ibang proyekto. So titignan natin kung itong paglipat ay karapat-dapat ba,” he added. 

(So we will also ensure that other projects are not sacrificed. We will look into whether these realignments are justified.)

Highlighting the  importance of infrastructure  projects,  Gatchalian also noted that the reported realignments within the  Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)  budget.

“Titignan din namin  yung mga DPWH realignments. May nakita rin kami ang mga DPWH realignments. So pag-aaralan din at titignan din kung ito ay tama ba o sang-ayon ba ito sa mga feasibility studies.”

(“We will also look into the DPWH realignments. We have also seen some realignments in the DPWH budget. We will study them and determine whether they are appropriate and consistent with the feasibility studies.)

The Senate has started  its budget  hearings in the committee level and plans to start plenary deliberations by the end of November.

The original plan, he said, was to begin floor deliberations on November 9, but the target date was moved to give way to the defense team’s presentation of evidence in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Pero kaya pa naman base sa kalendar. Magsasacrifice lang nga yung Pasko,” Gatchalian said when asked about the chamber’s timeline for passing the 2027 budget.

(But it is still doable based on the calendar. It would just mean sacrificing the Christmas break.) /gsg