Senate majority bloc backs budget purge

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate majority bloc is backing a planned purge of the House-approved 2027 national budget bill riddled with “corruption-prone” insertions, with Sen. Panfilo Lacson giving assurance that no one would be spared.

“The majority of senators are rallying behind Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito’s efforts to cleanse the 2027 budget of unwarranted, whimsical, and corruption-prone items. – ALL MEANS ALL!” Lacson said in a social media post yesterday.

Lacson earlier told “Storycon” on One News that the budget scrutiny would “absolutely” include Ilocos Norte’s first district represented by President Marcos’ son Sandro, which received a large chunk of public works funding insertions.

The declaration of support follows Ejercito’s recent ultimatum to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which has until Nov. 3 to submit complete supporting documents for 6,271 new infrastructure projects inserted by the House of Representatives, or risk having them stripped from the national spending bill.

A Senate review had exposed that DPWH infrastructure projects ballooned from 11,420 in the executive’s original National Expenditure Program to 16,244 in the House-transmitted General Appropriations Bill.

To prevent backroom deals and safeguard the budget process, Lacson noted that the Senate would sustain transparency reforms instituted by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian. 

Ejercito has also committed to inviting civil society organizations to observe the bicameral conference committee deliberations, which will be livestreamed to the public.

As for the upper chamber, Lacson doubts any senator would attempt to slip in unvetted funding given the majority’s current hardline stance.

The Senate will formally tackle the budget bill when it resumes plenary sessions on Nov. 9, with full plenary debates expected to commence on Nov. 23.