Senate Finance Committee Chairperson JV Ejercito confirmed on Wednesday, October 14, that the Senate has received the House of Representatives’ version of the proposed 2027 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), with finance subcommittee vice chairpersons given until October 23 to submit their respective reports.
Ejercito said the Senate received 34 copies of the proposed national budget on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. These were distributed to senators, the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO), and other concerned offices on Wednesday morning.
“Okay, confirming that we received the General Appropriations Bill yesterday at 5:30 [p.m.]. We already distributed it this morning to our kasamahang senador at siyempre sa LBRMO and other concerned offices,” Ejercito said during a press briefing.
The senator said he had instructed the finance committee’s vice chairpersons to submit their subcommittee reports by October 23 as the Senate begins reviewing the House-approved budget measure.
Ejercito also confirmed that the House version contains significant changes compared with the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the proposed budget initially submitted by the executive branch.
“Yes, kinukumpirma natin na may mga pagbabago. Malaking pagbabago mula sa National Expenditure Program at sa House version ng GAB,” he said.
The Senate’s review will allow senators to examine the proposed spending allocations and changes introduced during the House deliberations before proceeding with their own consideration of the 2027 national budget.
