Senate Finance Committee wraps up budget hearings, will meet with civil society groups

The Senate Finance Committee concluded its subcommittee budget deliberations on Thursday, with subcommittee reports due on Friday ahead of the start of plenary deliberations for the 2027 national budget. 

Meanwhile, the committee is scheduled to meet with civil society organizations on Monday to hear their observations and concerns regarding the proposed budget.

“We will have a day with them. Para yung mga observations nila, yung mga red flags if any, mag-uusapan natin. Tsaka we can probably incorporate in our committee report, makakatulong yung mga observation nila,” Senate Finance Committee Chair JV Ejercito said in an ambush interview. 

The last meeting in the schedule was for the budget of the Senate, the Senate Electoral Tribunal, and the Commission on Appointments—the shortest budget deliberation yet this year lasting only 16 minutes.  

The proposed 2027 budget for the Senate is P7.7 billion, which is lower than this year’s budget of P8.5 billion. The CA has a budget of 1.1 billion under the 2027 NEP, down from its 2026 budget of P1.7 billion. The SET also has a lower budget of P324 million, compared to its 2026 allocation of P441 million. 

The budget proposals were submitted to plenary for further deliberations, with Ejercito saying he had forwarded questions to each of the agencies in preparation for the plenary session.  

“I have some questions here but I will just forward it to all of you… so that please prepare for these just in case it will be asked in plenary,” the lawmaker said.