THE SENATE Committee on Finance on Wednesday swiftly ended deliberations on the Office of the President’s (OP) proposed P27.36-billion budget for 2026, without any objections from senators.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who heads the Finance committee, approved the proposed budget of the OP and the Presidential Management Staff’s (PMS) in a hearing that lasted about 40 minutes.
“There being no objections the budget of the Office of the President and the Presidential Management Staff are now deemed submitted for the plenary’s consideration, subject to the discussions and the submission of documents requested by senators,” Mr. Gatchalian said.
The budget was swiftly passed in line with the long-standing parliamentary courtesy extended to the sitting president.
It also breezed through the House Appropriations committee in a hearing on Monday, despite some lawmakers’ push to have the OP explain its P4.5-billion allocation to confidential and intelligence funds.
The issue was not raised in the Senate, with senators focusing on security preparations and concerns for the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
The OP sought a 72% increase for budget allocation for 2026, citing the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN Summit next year; while the PMS proposed an P882-million budget for next year.
“The increase is attributed to the higher requirements of the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN Summit and other meetings,” Palace Assistant Secretary Marvin P. Cañero told senators.
Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said that the summit hosting took up about 64.3% of the OP’s proposed budget.
“We are confident that the Philippine chairship of the ASEAN 2026 will further improve our standing as a founding member of the ASEAN,” Mr. Bersamin added
He said that the remaining funds would be earmarked for other programs and activities.
The Philippines is set to host the regional bloc’s annual summit next year where the country will formally assume the ASEAN chairship, a year earlier than scheduled after Myanmar skipped its turn due to political unrest.
Among the anticipated priorities of the summit will be the draft Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea. ASEAN members are expected to finalize the text of the legally binding agreement, even as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the disputed waters.
On the sidelines, Mr. Bersamin said that the country remains “very stable” despite allegations of corruption within government agencies and anomalies in the 2026 budget.
“Very, very stable because you know that’s just internal dynamics, that’s normal for us,” he told reporters. “There were eras or periods in our history that were supposedly perceived to be destabilizing. But I don’t see any threats.”
The Philippine government is currently under scrutiny due to the revelation of funding misuse and anomalous projects under the Marcos administration.
Congress is currently conducting separate investigations into these anomalies, where lawmakers and government officials were allegedly involved. — Adrian H. Halili
