The proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 will move to the next stage of legislative review after the House of Representatives completed its nine-day plenary deliberations on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 General Appropriations Bill.
Following the completion of the line-by-line scrutiny of House Bill 10858-the proposed FY 2027 General Appropriations Bill-the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc) will review proposed amendments, revisions, and adjustments to agency budgets before the measure proceeds to third reading approval scheduled on October 9.
The House concluded its nine-day plenary deliberations last Friday, completing the examination of the government’s proposed P7.2-trillion spending plan for 2027.
From September 15 to 25, lawmakers conducted extensive reviews of the proposed appropriations of 245 departments, agencies, attached agencies, and government-owned and controlled corporations, as well as 113-state universities and colleges. Discussions focused on their funding requirements, implementation capacity, program priorities, and alignment with national development goals.
The deliberations covered major sectors, including education, agriculture and food security, higher education, social protection, health, energy, transportation, and infrastructure. Among the key issues raised were funding requirements for basic education, agricultural support and irrigation amid climate risks, the budgets of the Commission on Higher Education and State Universities and Colleges, social welfare programs, health services, energy resilience initiatives, mass transportation projects, and stronger evaluation and accountability mechanisms for infrastructure spending.
House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing said the House would continue strengthening safeguards in crafting the 2027 General Appropriations Act, particularly in setting clearer rules and standards for the evaluation and utilization of government funds.
‘Having successfully abolished the ‘Small Committee’ and constituted the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee, or BARSc, last year, the BARSc will once again deliberate on amendments to the 2027 national budget in a manner that is open and transparent to the public,’ stressed Suansing.
She also emphasized the need for stronger reportorial requirements and continued coordination with the Department of Budget and Management, including matters involving the Local Government Support Fund.
She assured that projects included in the House General Appropriations Bill and eventually in the General Appropriations Act would comply with the same documentary standards required by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
She further highlighted the importance of climate preparedness and fiscal responsibility, assuring lawmakers that the proposed budget was being reviewed with consideration for possible climate-related challenges and fiscal constraints.
‘The 2027 budget is El Niño ready. We will do our best; I give you my assurance,’ Suansing said. Under the 2027 national budget, the government has proposed around P45.67 billion for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) to provide additional fiscal support for El Niño and other disaster-related emergencies.
Suansing also cited the lower level of unprogrammed appropriations under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), saying the proposed amount represents the lowest unprogrammed appropriations-to-total-expenditure ratio in decades.
‘It is also noteworthy that the current level of unprogrammed appropriations, as reflected in the 2027 National Expenditure Program [NEP], represents the lowest ratio of unprogrammed appropriations to the total expenditure program. This is the lowest level of unprogrammed appropriations in a long time. This is also the view of the Department of Budget and Management [DBM]: if an item is programmable and identifiable, it is placed under programmed appropriations rather than unprogrammed appropriations,’ she said.
The Department of Budget and Management has proposed P111.984 billion in unprogrammed appropriations for 2027, equivalent to around 1.6 percent of the Total Expenditure Program. This represents the lowest proposed share since 1991 and the lowest proposed amount at the NEP level since 2019.
Suansing said the national budget must serve not only as a financial document but also as a framework for responsible public spending.
‘Our goal over the course of these deliberations is to craft a 2027 budget that would accelerate growth despite this challenging fiscal landscape, which would give due consideration and prioritization to the pressing needs of our most salient social and economic sectors,’ she said.
The House is also coordinating with the Senate to once again open the bicameral conference committee proceedings on the national budget to the public for the second consecutive year.
At P7.2 trillion, the proposed 2027 national budget is about 6 percent higher than the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 and is equivalent to approximately 21.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
By sector, social services continue to receive the largest share of the proposed budget at P2.456 trillion, or 34.1 percent of the total expenditure program. Economic services account for P1.833 trillion, followed by general public services at P1.317 trillion, debt burden at P1.143 trillion, and defense at P452.4 billion.