Despite weather-related suspensions that disrupted committee hearings, the House of Representatives remains on track to approve the proposed 2027 national budget on schedule, with lawmakers adjusting the hearing calendar to recover lost time without sacrificing scrutiny of agency spending.
Under the revised schedule, House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Mikaela Suansing said budget briefings will resume on Monday, August 24, with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Justice, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and Department of Science and Technology appearing before the appropriations panel.
‘We have adjusted our schedule to make up for the hearings that could not proceed because of the inclement weather. We have a responsibility to thoroughly scrutinize the proposed national budget, but we also have a timetable to meet. We intend to do both,’ said Suansing.
The revised calendar consolidates several agency briefings into each hearing day and allows simultaneous hearings in separate venues when necessary. Committee-level deliberations are currently scheduled to continue through September 8.
Among the departments and agencies set to appear next week are the Department of National Defense, Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Commission on Audit on August 25.
On August 26, the panel will hear the budget proposals of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Migrant Workers.
The Office of the President, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Commission on Higher Education, and Presidential Communications Office are scheduled to face the committee on August 27.
Budget hearings will continue into September and will cover major government agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Energy, Transportation, Education, Social Welfare and Development, and Labor and Employment. The Office of the Vice President, Judiciary, and other constitutional offices are also included in the schedule.
Suansing said the committee has built flexibility into its calendar to accommodate possible further disruptions without compromising the quality of congressional scrutiny or putting the House budget timetable at risk.
The Appropriations Committee chair emphasized that maintaining the schedule does not mean rushing agency officials or limiting lawmakers’ opportunity to closely examine proposed expenditures.
‘We will not sacrifice the thorough scrutiny of the budget just to keep up with the schedule. What we are doing is managing our time better and making the necessary adjustments early so that every agency can still be properly scrutinized and every peso in the proposed budget can be properly accounted for,’ explained Suansing.
She added that the House leadership and the Appropriations Committee recognize the importance of completing committee deliberations on time to provide sufficient opportunity for plenary debates and the succeeding stages of the national budget process.
‘Our goal remains the same: a budget that is carefully and transparently examined, responsive to the needs of our people, and approved on time. We will make the adjustments necessary to get there without compromising the work that Congress is expected to do,’ she added.