By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – The Senate will make the necessary corrections to the proposed 2027 national budget without returning it to the House of Representatives, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday, assuring that the spending measure remains on track for plenary deliberations next month.
In a chance interview, Gatchalian rejected the Makabayan bloc’s proposal to recall the House-approved budget bill to correct provisions that could conflict with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on unconstitutional appropriations.
“Not necessary naman dahil papasok na kami sa consolidation ng budget dito (It is not necessary because we are entering budget consolidation), so we can do the correction ourselves,” Gatchalian said.
He said the Senate could address the questionable provisions during its consolidation process, avoiding additional delays that could arise from sending the measure back to the House.
“Hindi ko nakikita ang malaking correction gagawin dito sa 2027 (I do not foresee major corrections being made in the 2027 budget),” he said.
The Makabayan bloc earlier asked the House to recall House Bill 10858, the proposed PHP7.2 trillion General Appropriations Bill, following the Supreme Court’s decision invalidating certain appropriations and spending mechanisms in previous national budgets.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co warned that retaining similar provisions could expose the 2027 budget to constitutional challenges.
Gatchalian maintained that the Senate could address the concerns through its own review, particularly by ensuring that appropriations remain within the President’s recommended spending ceiling and comply with the Court’s requirements.
He said the chamber would consider the ruling without prejudice to any appeal that the Office of the Solicitor General may pursue.
November plenary timetable
With the Senate’s agency budget briefings wrapping up, Gatchalian said technical working groups would begin consolidating proposed appropriations, committee reports and recommendations from individual senators.
The consolidated measure is being prepared for sponsorship and plenary deliberations beginning Nov. 9.
“I consulted with our chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator JV (Ejercito). So, tuloy-tuloy (we will proceed),” he said.
Gatchalian acknowledged that the schedule could be adjusted slightly if additional technical work becomes necessary but maintained that preparations remain largely on time.
Ejercito earlier cautioned that recalling the House-approved measure could disrupt the already tight legislative calendar and increase the risk of a reenacted budget.
Gatchalian said the ongoing review would also assess whether proposed expenditures sufficiently address economic growth, inflation, and the anticipated effects of El Niño, which he identified as major spending priorities for 2027. (PNA)
