P2 billion cut in Senate's 2027 budget eyed to promote spending discipline

The Senate is considering trimming P2 billion off its proposed 2027 budget to promote fiscal discipline and encourage the House of Representatives to reconsider its own spending increase, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday.

Lacson, chair of the Senate Committee on Accounts, said the proposed cut would demonstrate the chamber’s commitment to budget reforms following the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring certain provisions of the 2024 and 2025 national budgets unconstitutional.

"Magbabawas kami ng (mga) P2 billion just to set the trend for the House to follow. Ang House, nagdagdag ng P5 billion. The Senate is reducing our proposed budget from the NEP by P2 billion," he said.

The Senate’s proposed 2027 budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) amounts to P7.7 billion.

Lacson said the reduction would not significantly affect the chamber’s operations, noting that it could still tap unused funds from the previous year’s budget.

"Maganda ang Supreme Court ruling because it has come at a time na kailangan ang reform sa budget," he added.

The senator said the Senate is also looking to gather recommendations on budget reforms during a hearing with civil society organizations (CSOs) on Monday.

Among the concerns raised by the groups was a purported P55-million farm-to-market road project intended for Quezon province whose map coordinates reportedly pointed to waters near the country of Brunei.

Lacson cited the case as an example of questionable budget entries, comparing it with an earlier project in Taguig whose coordinates were reportedly located in Leyte.

"Ito ang mga disinterested, meaning walang self-interest, kundi purely pro-advocacy. Lumabas sa nakaraang hearing. Akala ko malayo na Leyte ang grid coordinates. Yun pala meron sa Brunei may mas malala. Na-break ang record ng Taguig," he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson opposed calls to recall the House-approved version of the proposed 2027 budget, warning that the move could result in a reenacted budget.

Instead, he urged the Senate to scrutinize the House version and remove unnecessary allocations. He said lawmakers could raise concerns over specific provisions during the bicameral conference committee proceedings once the Senate has passed its own version.

"Ang resulta niyan mas masama, reenacted budget. Lahat ng 2026 nakafloat, walang itemized provision. The whole, pag reenacted, lump sum lahat yan, hindi yan ang solution," he added.

The senator also stressed the need to hold accountable those who misused provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional.

He said he had previously raised concerns about the growth of unprogrammed appropriations, describing the two budgets as worse than the 2013 Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was also declared unconstitutional.

"Kailangan habulin ang mga nag-misuse sa provisions na sinabing unconstitutonal... Noon pa wala pa kami sa Senate I was already calling out ang lumobong unprogrammed appropriations. Ginalaw ng ginalaw, this was 2024-2025, kaya sabi ko ito ang worst budgets ever even counting the 2013 Disbursement Acceleration Program na declared unconstitutional. I think this is even worse," he said.

Lacson also invoked the “doctrine of operative fact,” explaining that funds disbursed before the Supreme Court ruling may not be invalidated, while unused funds covered by the ruling can no longer be utilized.

"(Kung) before the Supreme Court ruling nagamit na, disbursed na, hindi mo pwedeng habulin yan," he said.