JV Ejercito assures deliberations for 2027 nat'l budget will be transparent
CEBU CITY–Sen. JV Ejercito assured that the budget deliberations for the proposed 2027 national budget will be transparent.
As chairman of the Senate’s Finance Committee, Ejercito said he would ensure transparency in the deliberation of the National Expenditure Program for 2027, which stands at P7.2-trillion, after the country was rocked by what he described as the biggest corruption scandal in the government–the flood-control project scam.
“We have to regain the trust of the Filipino people,” Ejercito told local reporters on Friday, Aug 14. Ejercito flew in to attend an activity of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Mindanao cluster.
Ejercito said he will not allow last-minute amendments.
“Not all amendments, insertions are bad but it should be done in open plenary,” he said.
Ejercito said leading the budget hearing “will be a very big task for me.”
“It’s probably the biggest responsibility that I will have as a lawmaker,” he said.
Ejercito disclosed he hesitated to lead the committee but Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian encouraged him to take it.
“It’s a position of trust more than anything. Mahirap ibigay sa iba yan. It’s dangerous. Maraming puwedeng gawin, maraming puwede itago kung hindi maayos,” Ejercito recalled what Gatchalian told him.
Ejercito said the budget for the Universal Health Care (UHC) will be prioritized during the deliberations.
The lawmaker said that when he ran for senator in 2022, one of his campaign promises was to ensure the full implementation of the UHC.
“As chairman of the finance committee,I will have the first crack at the budget. I would give UHC a priority. I will make sure that the subsidy of PhilHealth will not be hijacked. Instead, it will be supplemented. We would want to add more so that more beneficiaries will be reached,” said Ejercito.
Ejercito said civil society organizations, academe, and other stakeholders will be encouraged to participate in the deliberations.