The House of Representatives disputed claims that lawmakers added one trillion pesos in amendments to the proposed 2027 national budget, setting the actual adjustment at 115 billion pesos, Philippine News Agency reported.
Lawmakers addressed the public during a Monday press briefing.
Camarines Sur 4th District Rep. Arnie Fuentebella stated that the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee examined agency requests before presenting changes to the plenary. It’s only PHP115 billion,
Fuentebella said during the briefing. He rejected suggestions that individual representatives could introduce personal projects through the panel.
Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia explained that most amendments originated from government agencies or addressed needs missed during initial budget preparations. Garcia serves as senior vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations. And most of the amendments came from the agencies or ‘yung mga na-miss out doon sa bottom-up budgeting,
Garcia told reporters.
Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Janice Degamo cited district water projects that appeared under the wrong province despite having correct municipalities and barangays. Lawmakers emphasized that many adjustments involved correcting duplicate entries and errors in project descriptions rather than transferring discretionary funds.
House leaders vowed to reject projects lacking proper documentation or accurate location records during upcoming bicameral deliberations. FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe outlined strict requirements for projects entering the final spending bill.
No papers, no geotag or maling geotag,
Poe said, adding that deficient submissions would be removed. Fuentebella supported these safeguards, stating that the 20th Congress under Speaker Faustino Dy III implemented reforms to prevent unauthorized insertions during bicameral talks.
The Senate began plenary deliberations on its version of the budget measure, with approval expected by December 7, according to the Daily Tribune. The bicameral conference committee scheduled its meetings between December 10 and 12, targeting a final report ratification by December 22.
| Source / Estimator | Reported Amount | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Watchdogs | PHP1 Trillion | Alleged insertions in the House-approved appropriations bill. |
| House Appropriations Panel | PHP115 Billion | Actual subcommittee adjustments, agency corrections, and bottom-up items. |
| Administration Coalition | PHP190 Billion | Initial recollection cited by lawmakers before final verification. |
House leaders stated they will reject any project that lacks proper documentation, official papers, or accurate geotagging coordinates. Rep. Brian Poe noted that incomplete submissions are unfair to local constituents.
Bicameral conference committee deliberations are scheduled to run from December 10 to 12, with the final report ratification expected on December 22, according to the Daily Tribune.