Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
16 minutes: House panel ends 2027 Office of the President budget discussion in familiar, swift fashion
Philippines
National
16 minutes: House panel ends 2027 Office of the President budget discussion in familiar, swift fashion
16 minutes: House panel ends 2027 Office of the President budget discussion in familiar, swift fashion
Published Sep 1, 2026 11:09 am
At A Glance
- The House Committee on Appropriations ends early the OP budget deliberations after just 16 minutes, with 37 lawmakers voting for early termination and five opposing, despite Makabayan bloc objections.
- Executive Secretary Ralph Recto presented the ₱10.15‑billion 2027 OP budget, and noted a 64% cut from 2026 due to completed ASEAN Summit expenses.
- Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio criticizedsthe move, highlighting the ₱4.55‑billion confidential and intelligence funds.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Facebook)
As expected, the House Committee on Appropriations sought early termination of the budget deliberations for the Office of the Philippines (OP). And as expected, members of the Makabayan bloc objected to it.
These familiar scenes played out during the appropriation panel's per agency hearings Tuesday morning, Sept. 1 on the P7.2-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2027.
In the end, the House leadership got its way, as 37 congressmen voted for the early termination. Only five voted against it.
With this, the OP budget deliberations only lasted 16 minutes, from the time Executive Secretary Ralph Recto started his budget presentation at 9:43 a.m., to the time presiding officer Bataan 2nd district Rep. Albert Garica carried the vote result and banged his gavel at 9:59 a.m.
Recto led the OP contignent to the House of Representatives Tuesday on behalf of President Marcos.
'I'm here above all in faithful compliance with the President’s standing directive: Honor Congress, respect it's mandate and regard it as a full partner in advancing the welfare of our people," he told the panel.
"We respectfully propose a budget of P10.15 billion for 2027. This represents only 0.14 percent or roughly one-seventh of one percent, of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget," Recro said.
He highlighted the huge 64 percent reduction in the OP's proposed 2027 compared to the 2026 level. He said this reflected the completion of expenditures related to the Philippines' hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
"In short we're asking for less, while fully prepared to do more. We believe this amount is sufficient for the presidency to lead the exacting demands of leading the nation at a time of overlapping domestic and external challenges," Recto said.
'Eto nanaman tayo'
Invoking "institutional and inter-branch courtesy", as well as tradition, Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan moved to terminate the OP budget discussion right after the executive secretary's presentation.
This was echoed by Senior Deputy Speaker South Cotabato 2nd district Rep. Feridnand Hernandez, who represented the majority.
Sensing what was about to happen, Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio objected to the motion even as he slammed this traditional extension of the particular courtesy.
"Eto nanaman tayo (Here we go again)," said the exasperated militant lawmaker.
Tinio noted that for 2027, nearly half of the OP's outlay--P4.55 billion--was listed as confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs). He said the panel briefing was the OP's sole opportunity to explain such allocation.
Tinio went on to challenge the House of Representatives to apply its call for greater transparency to the OP especially amid the heightened scrutiny on the usage of public funds.
Before calling for a vote, Garcia noted that House members would still get the opportunity to propound questions on the OP budget in a few weeks' time when the GAB reaches the plenary debate stage.
Garcia says the plenary presents a "wider platform" for the OP budget to be scrutinzed.
The Makabayan bloc was allowed to make manifestations after the termination was officially declared.
The OP's P4.55-billion CIF allocation is unchanged from 2026. The amount consists of P2.25 billion in confidential funds and P2.3 billion in intelligence funds.