PASAY CITY, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Finance swiftly granted approval on Wednesday, September 30, to the Office of the President’s (OP) proposed ₱10.15-billion budget for fiscal year 2027.
During the same session, the legislative panel also cleared the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) proposed spending plan in under 20 minutes. Both financial proposals were officially marked as “deemed submitted for plenary consideration.”
Following the budget presentation delivered by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Senate President Win Gatchalian invoked traditional “inter-senator courtesy”.
Prior to his appointment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet, Recto served 18 years as a member of the Senate.
“Typically we give interparliamentary courtesy to the Office of the President, but it is not just interparliamentary courtesy, we also have inter-senator courtesy because the head is a former inter-colleague,” Gatchalian explained.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joel Villanueva voiced agreement with Gatchalian’s position during the hearing.
Addressing the committee, Recto emphasized that the executive office’s requested outlay represents a small fraction of the broader ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, noting that the figure is 64 percent lower than its 2026 funding level.
Recto assured lawmakers that the proposed allocations strictly adhere to the standards and procedures set by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“We sought no special treatment. We submit this proposal to Congress’ constitutional authority and with readiness to answer any and all of your questions,” he said.