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# Philippines 2027 budget: watchdogs flag up to P1 trillion pork
- URL: https://bullquill.com/philippines-2027-budget-pork-senate-bicam/
- Published: 2026-10-30T06:54:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T06:54:54.000Z
- Description: Civil society groups put suspected pork in the House-passed P7.2-trillion bill at up to P1 trillion. Senate leaders promise a televised bicam as the peso hovers near record lows.
- Author: Rowan Ashby
- Tags: Finance, Trending, Philippines, Senate of the Philippines, JV Ejercito, General Appropriations Act, Philippine Peso, #lang-en, #tr-philippines-2027-budget-pork-senate-bicam

## Key takeaways

- Civil society watchdogs told the Philippine Senate on Monday, October 26, that up to P1 trillion of the P7.2-trillion 2027 budget passed by the House could be "pork", according to The Philippine Star.
- Senate finance chair JV Ejercito is open to inviting the groups into the bicameral conference committee, and Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto said the bicam would be livestreamed.
- The fight comes after a Supreme Court ruling against congressional changes to past budgets, and ahead of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila on November 16 to 18.
- The peso closed at P63.85 per US dollar on Thursday, October 29, after a record-low close of P64.17 on October 27, based on Bankers Association of the Philippines data reported by The Philippine Star and Daily Tribune.

The Philippines 2027 budget is under fresh scrutiny after budget watchdogs told senators that as much as P1 trillion of the P7.2-trillion spending bill shows signs of pork barrel, and Senate leaders pledged a more open, televised bicameral process.

## What happened in the Senate budget hearing

At a public consultation held by the Senate finance committee on Monday, October 26, the People's Budget Coalition flagged up to P1 trillion in possible pork in the House version of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, The Philippine Star reported on October 28\. The coalition split its estimate into three groups:

- P695 billion in what it called "hard pork" for politicised infrastructure;
- P210 billion in "soft pork" for patronage-driven cash aid, known locally as ayuda;
- P112 billion in "shadow pork" within unprogrammed appropriations, which are funded only if extra revenue appears.

Those three items add up to about P1.017 trillion, slightly above the coalition's headline figure. Other groups have used different methods and published different totals, so the numbers above should be read as the coalition's own estimate, not an official count.

Senate finance committee chairman JV Ejercito said he was open to inviting civil society organisations to the bicameral conference committee, the panel where House and Senate versions of the bill are reconciled. Senator Panfilo Lacson extended the invitation before the hearing closed, telling the groups, "Without you, we can't do it," according to The Philippine Star.

## Senate pledges a livestreamed bicam

Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto said the bicameral conference committee would be livestreamed so the public would know "exactly where the funds are going," Daily Tribune reported on October 22\. Ejercito told GMA News the same week that disputed items should be settled at the bicam rather than by recalling the House bill, adding: "At least, we're transparent, lahat naman ito will be televised."

House opposition lawmakers Antonio Tinio and Renee Co had asked the House to recall House Bill 10858 or, failing that, for the Senate or bicam to strip what they called "illegal provisions", GMA News reported. They pointed to a P50-billion modernisation fund for the Armed Forces and P42 billion in financial assistance to local governments as lump sums.

## Key figures in the 2027 budget debate

| Item                                           | Figure                           | Source                  |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Total proposed 2027 budget (House Bill 10858)  | P7.2 trillion                    | GMA News, Philstar      |
| House third-reading vote, Oct 12               | 281 yes, 13 no, 1 abstention     | GMA News                |
| Amount changed from the executive's plan       | P206 billion (Ejercito estimate) | Philstar, Daily Tribune |
| Cut to foreign-assisted projects               | P130 billion (Ejercito)          | Philstar                |
| Unprogrammed appropriations added by the House | P449.5 billion (reported)        | Daily Tribune           |
| Suspected pork, People's Budget Coalition      | Up to P1 trillion                | Philstar                |
| PhilHealth subsidy, 2027 vs 2026               | P74.4 billion vs P129.8 billion  | Philstar                |

## What we know and what we don't know yet

**What we know:** the House approved the bill on third and final reading on Monday, October 12, by 281 votes to 13 with one abstention, according to GMA News. Ejercito estimated in mid-October that P206 billion had been shifted away from the President's National Expenditure Program, including a P130-billion cut to foreign-assisted projects and a P23.9-billion increase for the MAIFIP medical aid programme, The Philippine Star reported. Health groups also asked the Senate to lift the PhilHealth subsidy, which falls to P74.4 billion in the 2027 bill from P129.8 billion in 2026.

**What we don't know yet:** how much of the House realignment the Senate will reverse, which civil society groups will actually sit in on the bicam, and whether the final law will include the lump-sum items opposition lawmakers call unconstitutional. Ejercito's own schedule, as reported by The Philippine Star on October 15, was to sponsor the committee report on November 11, open plenary debate on November 23, and have the budget signed by the second week of December. Those dates are plans, not fixed Senate rules, and could move.

## Background: why "pork" is back in focus

The Senate promised tighter safeguards after the Supreme Court ruled that Congress went beyond its authority in the 2024 and 2025 budgets by raising spending above what the President proposed, Daily Tribune reported. The court also barred implementation of two special provisions in the 2026 budget, finding them overly broad. Lacson said the Senate may restore "hundreds of billions" in House cuts and realignments, according to the same report.

Ejercito told GMA News he was worried that recalling the House bill would make a year-end passage unlikely, citing the 49th ASEAN Summit and the resumption of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial as timing pressures. The summit runs from November 16 to 18 in Manila, according to Rolling Stone Philippines.

## Peso and PSEi: where markets stand

The budget fight is unfolding while Philippine assets are under pressure. The peso closed at a record low of P64.17 per dollar on Tuesday, October 27, then firmed to P64.025 on Wednesday, October 28, Daily Tribune reported. On Thursday, October 29, it closed at P63.85, 17.5 centavos stronger, according to The Philippine Star.

The PSE index fell 1.87% to 5,653.55 on October 28, then rose 0.92%, or 52.03 points, to 5,705.58 on October 29\. Luis Limlingan of Regina Capital Development Corp. told The Philippine Star that the US Federal Reserve's hold "offered short-term relief to local equities", but warned that "persistent domestic inflation and currency pressures continue to pose risks to the market outlook."

None of the market reports reviewed for this article tied the peso or PSEi moves directly to the budget debate; they cited oil prices, inflation and the Fed. For more on the currency, see our report on the [Philippine peso's record low past 64 per dollar](https://bullquill.com/philippine-peso-record-low-64-bsp-marcos/) and the parallel pressure on Indonesia's [rupiah near its record low](https://bullquill.com/rupiah-near-record-low-msci-outflows/).

## What it means for ASEAN investors

For investors following Philippine stocks and bonds, the bicam outcome matters on three fronts. First, the size of unprogrammed appropriations and lump sums shapes how much spending depends on revenue that may not appear, which bears on the fiscal deficit and government borrowing. Second, a cut of around P130 billion to foreign-assisted projects, if kept, would affect flagship rail and infrastructure work that construction and materials companies watch closely. Third, a delayed budget would mean the government starts 2027 on a reenacted 2026 budget, which can slow new projects.

The open questions for the next three weeks are whether the Senate restores the executive's original allocations, whether the livestream pledge is kept, and whether the bill is signed before Christmas. More coverage is collected on our [Philippines](https://bullquill.com/tag/philippines/) and [Philippine peso](https://bullquill.com/tag/philippine-peso/) topic pages.

## Frequently asked questions

### How big is the Philippines 2027 budget?

The House-approved version of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill, House Bill 10858, totals P7.2 trillion. The House passed it on third reading on October 12, 2026, by 281 votes to 13 with one abstention, according to GMA News.

### How much of the 2027 budget is suspected pork?

The People's Budget Coalition told the Senate on October 26, 2026 that up to P1 trillion could be pork: P695 billion in infrastructure, P210 billion in cash aid and P112 billion in unprogrammed appropriations. Other groups use different methods and totals; these are the coalition's own estimates.

### Will the 2027 budget bicam be livestreamed?

Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto said the bicameral conference committee would be livestreamed, and finance chair JV Ejercito said the process would be televised. Ejercito is also open to inviting civil society watchdogs to the bicam.

### When will the Philippines 2027 budget be signed?

In mid-October 2026, Ejercito said he planned to sponsor the committee report on November 11, open plenary debate on November 23 and target signing by the second week of December. The schedule could change.

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This article is for information only and is not investment advice.