SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian rejected calls on Friday to recall the proposed 2027 National Budget, assuring that the Senate will comply with constitutional requirements during the spending bill’s consolidation process.
Gatchalian said the requests from the House Makabayan bloc to recall the measure for revision was unnecessary and could disrupt the legislative timetable.
“We are about to begin the budget consolidation process here, so we can make the corrections ourselves,” Gatchalian said. “To avoid delaying the budget process, we will handle the corrections here.”
Following the conclusion of subcommittee hearings, the Senate will hold technical working group sessions under Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito.
Plenary debates are scheduled to open on Nov. 9.
Gatchalian emphasized that the Senate will strictly enforce recent Supreme Court rulings regarding prior appropriations. Key adjustments include adhering to the executive spending ceiling set by the president, removing unconstitutional special provisions and clarifying regulations on unprogrammed appropriations alongside the Solicitor General. Foreign-assisted projects, however, remain permissible.
Addressing concerns regarding the Local Government Support Fund, Gatchalian pointed out the need for stricter transparency rules for the P30-billion allocation, saying funding will be anchored on good governance, not political patronage.
He dismissed reports of erroneous project allocations — such as farm-to-market roads mapped in offshore locations like Benham Rise — as typographical errors stemming from mandatory coordinate submissions.
Gatchalian debunked allegations that the 2027 spending plan functions as an “election budget.” He said legislative priorities will focus strictly on economic growth, inflation management and climate resilience, particularly in response to El Niño.
“It’s not election season yet. The elections aren’t until 2028,” Gatchalian said.
