2027 budget bill hurdles House

The House of Representatives voted to approve the amended P7.2-trillion budget for fiscal year 2027 on third reading, amid minority concerns about how the budget was allocated across sectors.

House Bill 10858, otherwise known as the House General Appropriations Bill, passed on third reading with 281 votes in the affirmative, 13 in the negative, and one abstention.

The budget increased funding for infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including an additional P180 billion from the Budget Amendments and Review Subcommittee (BARSc), which replaced the appropriations panel’s small committee notorious for pork-project insertions.

BARSc also paved the way for additional allocations to subsidy programs for agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health (DoH).

The 2027 budget also marked the return of P107.4 billion for flood control projects, with the DPWH vowing to implement reformed guidelines for the allocated funds.

The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for approval as the General Appropriations Act, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign.

Minority contests approval

Lawmakers from the minority expressed concern over the bill’s priorities.

Akbayan Partylist Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, for her part, raised concerns about the apparent lack of attention to healthcare in the country, arguing that the budget should have gone to PhilHealth rather than to DoH subsidy programs.