Civil society organizations will observe the livestreamed bicameral talks on the proposed 2027 national budget, while senators say no lawmaker’s insertions will be spared
2027 BUDGET BICAM – Civil society organizations will be allowed to sit in and observe the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. JV Ejercito said in a statement released on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in a move aimed at catching unvetted projects and last-minute insertions.
Ejercito said the bicameral proceedings will also be livestreamed, answering calls from business coalitions, civic groups and budget watchdogs for more transparency in how the final version of the spending plan is put together.
“We are continuing to build on our best practices. This year, we will be inviting CSOs to sit in and observe the bicameral proceedings. Having more eyes on the budget will help us spot any unvetted projects or last-minute insertions that may be introduced during the bicam,” Ejercito said in a statement.
He noted that all of the committee’s hearings on agency budgets were already streamed live. “All Senate Finance Committee budget hearings were livestreamed, which allowed the public to follow agency deliberations in real time,” he said.
The committee held a separate hearing for civil society groups on October 26, where participants pushed for the removal of insertions without technical justification and the restoration of funding cuts to foreign-assisted infrastructure projects, disaster preparedness and preventive health programs. Ejercito said he welcomed those recommendations.
Citizens may also review agency budget documents, submit position papers and flag allocations they consider questionable through the Senate’s budget transparency portal, which now carries digital tools developed by civil society groups.
Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said the Senate majority is fully behind Ejercito in going after red flags in the House-approved version of the General Appropriations Bill, and that no lawmaker will be spared.
“Our attitude now is to go gung-ho. If anyone gets hit, so be it. There will be no exceptions, otherwise the exception could become the general rule,” Lacson said in a television interview.
Asked whether the review would also cover the biggest net increase in public works funds, which went to the district of presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, Lacson answered: “Yes, absolutely.” He warned that granting exceptions would only invite more requests for special treatment.
Lacson said he has already submitted his subcommittee reports, which are being reviewed by the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office so that senators can introduce amendments to reverse the changes made by the House once plenary sessions resume on November 9.
The Senate earlier gave the Department of Public Works and Highways until November 3 to submit complete documents for thousands of infrastructure projects added to the budget, with Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian vowing to strip unsupported House insertions from the measure. Lacson has also told critics he never took bribes or lobby money.