By Ellson Quismorio
The House of Representatives has set a tight 53-day timetable for the tackling and passage of the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget, using the just-submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP) as basis.
Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela “Mika” Suansing said in a press conference Tuesday, Aug. 11 that her panel would hold a meeting with the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on Monday, Aug. 17.
The DBCC is traditionally the first body that the appropriations panel holds a briefing within the annual budget process.
It is composed of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev, formerly NEDA), and the Office of the President (OP), with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) participating as a resource institution.
On Tuesday, DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon handed over a copy of the 2027 NEP to House Speaker Isabela 6th district Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III in a ceremonial turnover.
“We’re looking at starting with the DBCC on Aug. 17…After that we’ll go through the committee hearings, the budget briefings and the budget hearings from Aug, 17 to around Sept. 8 po,” Suansing said.
“And then thereafter, we will go through the plenary deliberations and we hope to…to finish the budget deliberations in the House, approve the HGAB on third reading by Oct. 9, which is the end of the legislative calendar,” she said.
HGAB refers to the House General Appropriations Bill–the legislated budget measure based on the NEP.
The budget window laid out by Suansing is 53 days long.
Echoing Speaker Dy, Suansing said the House will continue to implement that pro-transparency measures that the lower chamber started in 2025.
“We have enacted very important reforms this year, we will continue to execute this year.
“The first one being the Budget Ammendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc)…We will do it simultaneously, concurrently with the budget deliberations, the committee hearings and the plenary deliberations,” the appropriations chairperson said.
“After that, we will do another round of the People’s Budget Review, which we started last year. Yan po yung ating engagement kasama po yung iba’t ibang civil service organizations,” added Suansing.
Once the GAB is passed on third and final reading by the House, it must then go through the other legislative chamber, the Senate.
The House and Senate versions of the budget bill will have to be harmonized via Bicameral Conference Committee before it can be sent to Malacañang for President Marcos’ signature, ideally before the end of the year.
