The House of Representatives formally approved the proposed P10.15 million budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2027, marking a budget cut of more than half compared to the current year.

The budget was over 64 percent lower than the amount that OP was allocated this year which was P28.03 million–the large budget was attributed to the Philippines hosting the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert “Abet” Garcia, who sponsored the bill during plenary deliberations at the House of Representatives, lauded the office for reducing its budget while ensuring that it remained transparent with where it spent its funds.

“This is an office that tightened its own belt before asking anything of our people,” Garcia said in a statement. “For the highest office of the land, this is a lean proposal.”

The budget faced no scrutiny at the House Committee on Appropriations level as it was afforded the legislative tradition called “parliamentary courtesy.”

Due to lawmakers not being able to lodge their questions at the forefront, OP’s proposal was questioned in the plenary.

Among the questions that were raised in the budget was the inclusion of a P4.58 billion confidential fund, particularly as the Office of the Vice President was being scrutinized when it came to its use of the allocation.

Faced with the query, Garcia explained that the fund was meant to ensure that efforts to safeguard the Filipino people were financially supported.

“Bottom line, the intelligence fund is for national security and confidential funds, for peace and order,”

Echoing a prior statement of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, the lawmaker said that the budget was subject to audit by the Commission on Audit and has remained compliant with the agency’s guidelines in prior years.

Recto previously stressed that OP had persistently received an unmodified opinion from state auditors.

The notion was seconded by Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice, who stated that the budget was needed in light of the tensions within the West Philippine Sea.

On Wednesday, 23 September, plenary deliberations on the proposed budget were officially terminated and endorsed for the House General Appropriations Bill.