JV backs stronger health, calamity response
Senate finance committee chairperson JV Ejercito vowed Tuesday to meticulously review the House of Representatives’ version of the P7.2-trillion national budget bill amid mounting criticism from watchdogs alleging pork barrel allocations.
His statement came a day after the House approved its version of the budget bill by a vote of 282-13-1. The Senate has yet to receive a copy of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill the House passed.
Ejercito assured that the Senate will correct questionable line items and restore funding for key programs that saw significant budget cuts.
“We will not simply accept whatever the House has passed. If our review reveals unreasonable reallocations or pivotal programs with insufficient funding, then we will pursue the necessary corrections in the Senate version,” he said.
As the sponsor of the Senate’s version of the budget bill, Ejercito said the chamber will prioritize healthcare services and strengthen the calamity fund ahead of the anticipated Super El Niño.
It will address a major funding slash to foreign-assisted railway projects that could see the government incur billions in commitment fees and penalties, and strain its ties with Japan.
It will be recalled that allocations for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) and the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) were reduced in recent national budgets, allegedly to accommodate lawmakers’ insertions for pet projects, including flood control programs.
The MMSP and NSCR are flagship projects under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “Build Better More” infrastructure program, financed primarily through loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The MMSP and NSCR were initially targeted for completion on or before Marcos stepped down from office in 2028.
Due to budget setbacks, the MMSP’s completion date was moved to 2032, while the NSCR’s full operations were pushed back to 2033.
The Department of Transportation, however, expects the NSCR’s Valenzuela-to-Malolos segment to begin partial operations in December 2027.
The Senate leadership has vowed to implement strict safeguards and keep the 2027 national budget free of “last-minute insertions” and questionable allocations to prevent a recurrence of the flood control scandal.
“One of the most challenging times to be finance chair is right after the flood control scam. The challenge is great to restore our people’s trust in the budget process,” Ejercito said.
Budget watchdogs and opposition lawmakers criticized the House-approved budget for its lack of transparency in fund realignments, for cuts to social services in favor of infrastructure and discretionary funds, and its alleged focus on the 2028 elections, which are more than a year away.