As the Senate opened deliberations on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano pressed the executive branch’s economic managers to present a detailed accounting of 2026 funds, including expenditure allocations, actual disbursements, and outstanding government debt.
In a formal request addressed to Senate Committee on Finance Chairperson JV Ejercito, Cayetano stressed that full fiscal disclosure is crucial for lawmakers to properly evaluate the upcoming spending proposal and ensure the process aligns with public pledges.
“There is no measure this Congress passes each year that is more consequential and touches more Filipino lives than the General Appropriations Act,” Cayetano noted in his letter.
“It is our values and priorities written in numbers. That is why we owe it to our people to get this budget right,” he added.
The Minority Leader specifically asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to detail the total releases, project commitments, and actual payouts from the 2026 budget, alongside an evaluation of each agency’s operational capacity to spend allocated funds.
He also requested updates on the utilization of funds under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) framework.
Turning to state obligations, Cayetano called for a comprehensive accounting of national liabilities as of July 31, 2026, including loan agreements, bond issuances, government guarantees over the last three years, and pending foreign financial assistance. Furthermore, he asked for a complete audit of all fund reallocations and transfers executed since July 2023.
Urging executive agencies to submit documentation early to allow lawmakers sufficient time for scrutiny, Cayetano pledged constructive engagement with the Senate majority.
He noted that the final 2027 appropriations measure must be “a budget that honors God, builds communities, and transforms the nation.”