The Senate is considering cutting some 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, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down certain provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets as unconstitutional, Senator Ping Lacson said.
Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on Accounts, said the proposed reduction would demonstrate the Senate’s commitment to budget reforms without affecting its operations.
“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,” the veteran legislator said.
The Senate’s proposed budget for 2027 in the NEP is P7.7 billion.
“The cut will not likely affect the Senate’s operations, saying it can still avail of unused funds from the previous year’s budget.”
The seasoned lawmaker said the cut will not likely affect the Senate’s operations, saying it can still avail of 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,” the senator added.
He said the Senate expects to get more inputs on budget reforms when it holds a hearing with members of civil society organizations as resource persons.
Lacson said some CSOs have flagged irregularities in the budget measure, including a ₱55-million farm-to-market road project supposedly intended for Quezon province that had map coordinates located in the waters near Brunei.
“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 cautioned against a proposal to recall the House-approved version of the 2027 budget, warning that doing so could lead to a reenacted budget.
He said the Senate should instead carefully examine the House version and remove unnecessary allocations, while concerns over specific provisions could be raised during the bicameral conference committee proceedings after the Senate passes its own version.
“Ang effect ‘yan mag-re-reenact tayo which is worse. Hindi ‘yan ang solution. The solution is for the Senate to really scrutinize and cut all the fat sa pinadala ng GAB ng House,” Lacson explained.
“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.
“They should address their concerns sa kanilang colleagues sa House because their colleagues will be members of the bicam after the Senate passes our version,” Lacson added.
He also said it is important for those who misused the provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets that the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional.
“Kailangan habulin ang mga nag-misuse sa provisions na sinabing 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,” Lacson explained.
He also cited the “doctrine of operative fact,” meaning that funds already disbursed before the Supreme Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of specific provisions may not be invalidated, while those that remained unused after the High Court’s ruling cannot not be utilized anymore.
“(Kung) before the Supreme Court ruling nagamit na, disbursed na, hindi mo pwedeng habulin ‘yan,” Lacson concluded.
