Lacson: Majority bloc backs purging 'pork' in 2027 budget

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The majority bloc is supporting efforts to remove questionable allocations from the proposed 2027 budget and ensure transparency in the budget-making process, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Sunday.

“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 statement.

According to Lacson, Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito secured a commitment from the Department of Public Works and Highways to remove infrastructure projects with incomplete documentation from the House-approved budget before the plenary debates begin if the agency fails to submit the required documents by November 3.

A Senate review found that the number of DPWH projects grew from 11,420 in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to 16,244 in the House-transmitted General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Lawmakers introduced 6,271 of the new projects without initial vetting by the executive branch, the senator said.

Lacson earlier said the Senate would scrutinize all increases in the DPWH allocation, including the budget for the Ilocos Norte 1st District, the congressional district represented by presidential son Sandro Marcos, which recorded the largest net increase.

The Senate will debate the budget bill after it resumes plenary sessions on Nov. 9.

Ejercito had said the plenary debates on the budget bill are expected to start on Nov. 23.

In early October, Ejercito questioned the reported realignment of around P206 billion in the House of Representatives’ version of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.

Among the funding reductions he flagged are budgets for foreign-assisted projects, the calamity fund, flood mitigation projects, health facility programs, immunization, right-of-way acquisition, and health promotion. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA News