The House of Representatives is set to begin deliberations on the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) this August, Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said.

“Congress would begin the deliberations of the proposed 2027 national budget this August,” Abante said during Saturday News Forum.

“I think, this coming Monday, according to the chairman of the Operations Committee, the debate and questions will begin about it,” he added.

The congressman emphasized the constitutional role of Congress in the budget process, noting that the NEP is an executive-proposed budget.

“It is not yet actually the national budget because it will be discussed in Congress and the Senate, and it will become a General Appropriations Act,” Abante pointed out.

Following the GAA, the solon noted that if there are differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget, a bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile provisions that are not aligned with the preferences of the two chambers.

He added that after the bicameral conference, the budget will be sent to the President for signature.

“If it is signed by the President, that is what we call the General Appropriations Act. That would become the national budget,” the congressman said.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted a proposed P7.2-trillion budget for 2027, with the Department of Education receiving the highest annual budget proposal at P976 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with a proposed P644-billion budget for next year.

Abante, however, stressed that the House has no authority over the budget proposal submitted by the executive branch.

“The only concern [of the House] is to actually scrutinize and deliberate on the budget when the NEP is given to us,” he said.

Trial unlikely to affect 2027 budget timeline

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is unlikely to affect the timeline for the approval of the 2027 National Budget, according to Abante.

“I think it will not [affect], because we have seen that after only four hours, the impeachment court ends, and the deliberations start at 3 p.m.,” he told reporters, noting that the impeachment trial would not affect the timeline for the national budget as budget deliberations would continue.

The congressman, meanwhile, called for discussions of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of the Vice President during the impeachment trial to be concluded at the soonest possible time.