Philippines Seeks Greater Civil Society Role in 2027 Budget Process

The Philippine Senate is seeking greater involvement from civil society organizations (CSOs) in the budget-making process for the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), urging them to flag questionable items. Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Joseph Victor G. Ejercito said that assistance from CSOs is crucial in vetting the items in the NEP, noting that it is “humanly impossible” for them to check all entries in the national budget. He explained that if CSOs have any “red flags,” they should inform the Senate so that it can monitor, inquire, and confront agencies about these during budget hearings. Mr. Ejercito also reiterated his commitment to ensure a transparent budget process and to prohibit last-minute budget insertions, following the multibillion-peso flood control project scandal. For the 2027 NEP, no new flood control projects will be allowed, and emphasis will be placed on completing existing uncompleted projects and closing gaps in their implementation. “On flood control, as long as we adhere to the requirements to prevent corruption and to make sure that those projects are really needed to mitigate flooding, then we will be approving that,” Mr. Ejercito said. “No new projects, complete all the uncompleted projects and close the gaps.” The allocation for flood control in the proposed 2027 national budget is expected to be around P107.4 billion, after the category was defunded in 2026 following anomalies in 2025. Source: BusinessWorld Nation