SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 was meant to serve as a driver of economic growth while helping the country navigate global and domestic challenges, including elevated oil prices, severe El Niño, and rising public debt.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has proposed a P7.2-trillion spending program for 2027, representing a 6-percent increase from this year's P6.793-trillion national budget. The proposed expenditure is equivalent to 21.7 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), underscoring the government's continued reliance on public spending to support economic expansion.
"Our national budget for next year should help stimulate economic activities to counteract global and domestic challenges, including the need to manage ballooning debt," Gatchalian said.
He noted that government spending must play a crucial role in sustaining economic momentum amid external uncertainties, such as volatile global energy prices that could fuel inflation, as well as the expected impact of a stronger El Niño phenomenon on agriculture, food supply, and electricity generation.
While emphasizing the importance of a stimulus-oriented budget, Gatchalian said the Senate would subject the proposed spending plan to rigorous scrutiny to ensure that public funds are used efficiently and responsibly.
"The Senate will carefully examine every item in the proposed budget to make sure that every peso counts," he said.
Gatchalian stressed that the spending measure should prioritize programs that directly improve the lives of Filipinos, particularly investments in infrastructure, education, health care, and other essential public services that generate jobs and strengthen long-term economic growth.
"Apart from prioritizing programs that will improve the quality of life of our countrymen, such as infrastructure, education, and health, we also need to ensure that next year's national budget is not abused and is only used for the welfare of our countrymen," he added.
He underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in the budget process. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance during last year's budget deliberations, Gatchalian spearheaded the passage of the 2026 General Appropriations Act and championed reforms aimed at strengthening oversight of government spending, including provisions designed to improve transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline.
The proposed 2027 national budget is expected to undergo extensive deliberations in both chambers of Congress in the coming months, with lawmakers expected to examine funding allocations for priority sectors, economic recovery initiatives, disaster resilience, food security, climate adaptation, and debt management before the spending measure is enacted into law.