The Senate swiftly approved the ₱27.3-billion proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) for fiscal year 2026 on Wednesday, November 26.
Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri moved to consider the budgets of both the OP and the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) as submitted, following a motion from Senator Jinggoy Estrada to suspend interpellation out of institutional courtesy.
“Mr. President, this representation wishes to move for the termination of the interpellation budget of the Office of the President as a show of institutional courtesy to a co-equal branch of the government and to the President of the Republic who also happens to be a former colleague, a member of this August chamber during the 15th and 16th Congresses,” Estrada said.
Senate President Tito Sotto approved the motion after no senator raised objections.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto personally attended the session to represent the Office of the President.
Senator Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, earlier presented the ₱27.3-billion proposed OP budget and the ₱854-million proposed PMS budget for 2026.
On September 8, the House of Representatives approved the OP’s funding request with a 56–5 vote, fast-tracking its passage.
The Office of the President is seeking ₱27.28 billion for 2026 — a 72% increase from the current year’s ₱15.8-billion budget.
Based on documents from the Department of Budget and Management’s 2026 National Expenditure Program, ₱1,018,304,000 is allocated for the President’s foreign and local trips. For comparison, the 2025 NEP pegged the OP’s travel allocation at ₱982,649,000.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma has previously stated that the President’s foreign visits have opened an estimated 200,000 jobs for Filipinos.