Office of the President's Proposed P10.15 Billion 2027 Budget Approved by House Panel

The House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday swiftly approved the proposed P10.15 billion budget of the Office of the President (OP) for fiscal year 2027, with the deliberation lasting less than 20 minutes. The panel voted 37 in favor and 5 against, extending "institutional and inter-branch courtesy" to the OP. House appropriations committee Senior Vice Chairperson Representative Albert Garcia announced the approval. House Minority Leader Representative Marcelino Libanan of the 4Ps party-list initially moved to extend interparliamentary courtesy to the office of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., pending manifestations from other House members. This was echoed by House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez of South Cotabato. However, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio objected to the motions, arguing that the OP should be held accountable for issues like flood control and its confidential and intelligence funds. "The people want transparency. We should be fair. This Congress must be fair in applying the principle of transparency. This Congress is quick to demand transparency from the Office of the Vice President, it should do the same for the Office of the President," Tinio said. Under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the OP is seeking a total of P10,155,758,000. This represents a substantial reduction of approximately 64% compared to the 2026 budget. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto explained that this significant decrease reflects "lower operational requirements of [the OP's] delivery units and the completion of activities related to the Philippines' hosting of the ASEAN Summit for which no additional funding will be required next year." "In short, we're asking for less while remaining fully prepared to do more. We believe this amount is sufficient for the Presidency to meet the exacting demands of leading the nation at a time of overlapping domestic and external challenges," Recto stated during his presentation. The OP's proposed 2027 budget will now be submitted for plenary consideration by the House of Representatives. Garcia had previously explained that members' questions, clarifications, and suggestions regarding the OP's budget would be addressed "either here or at the plenary where we will have a wider platform for everyone to witness."