OVP 2027 budget down 11.7%

JV: No more secret budget insertions

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved P785.204 million of the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s proposed 2027 budget, lower than this year’s P889.236-million appropriation.

Although the DBM’s endorsed budget is 11.7 percent lower than the OVP’s present budget, the OVP said it is focused on implementing priority programs.

The OVP’s proposed budget consists of P220.232 million for personnel services, P561.651 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and P3.321 million for capital outlay.

Of the amount, P193.103 million is earmarked for the procurement of goods and provision of livelihood assistance grants under the OVP’s “MagNegosyo Ta ‘Day” program and other aid and service-oriented initiatives.

About P15.544 million is automatically appropriated for the retirement and life insurance premium of OVP plantilla personnel.

The OVP cited its budget utilization rate, averaging over 90 percent in recent years.

As of June 30, the OVP has an obligation rate of 43.07 percent compared to its target of 41 percent.

‘No more secret insertions’

There will no longer be “secret” insertions or amendments during deliberations for the 2027 national budget, Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito gave assurance yesterday.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, Ejercito said proposed budget amendments must be presented in open plenary and deliberated upon by senators.

“There will be no last-minute amendments during the bicam,” he said, referring to the bicameral conference committee.

Ejercito said the budget process will do away with the controversial “small committee,” which reportedly realigned allocations during previous budget deliberations.

Ejercito maintained that changes to the proposed budget are not necessarily wrong, saying this is the primary role of the legislature in the budget process.

“Let’s not generalize and say that all amendments are bad. What is wrong is post-enactment intervention,” he said.

“As long as you do it in plenary and justify it in plenary, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” he added.

Flood control fund

Although there is no blanket ban on flood control funding, Ejercito said priority should be given to uncompleted projects or those with existing implementation gaps.

“We have seen the impact of having zero… (for) flood control projects in 2026,” he said, referring to recent widespread flooding.

“Our instruction is to prioritize projects that can be completed. Uncompleted projects should be finished, while existing gaps or deficiencies should also be addressed so that our fellow Filipinos do not continue to suffer,” he added.

Funding for new flood control projects would only be allowed if necessary and justified by proponents in open plenary, Ejercito said. – Janvic Mateo