CHIZ: LET LOCAL GOV’T EXECS PARTICIPATE IN BUDGET HEARINGS

“They have been sidelined for too long. It is now time to give them a seat at the table.”

This according to Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero, who recommended to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Committee on Finance, that governors and city mayors be invited to actively take part in the Senate public hearings on the proposed 2026 national spending package, a break from long-standing practice that excluded them from the legislative crafting of the country’s most important expenditure measure.

The Senate leader explained that since department and bureau officials routinely appear before the Senate to defend their budget proposals, it is time that local chief executives—the very leaders responsible for implementing many of these projects—are given a venue to air their views regarding the national budget.

“Kung mga division head ng maliliit na bureaus ay dumadalo sa budget hearings, bakit ang mga pinuno ng mga probinsya at malalaking lungsod ay hindi?” the veteran legislator asked.

Local government executives, as the leaders on the ground, can help “vet and verify” whether projects in the proposed budget truly respond to the needs of their constituents, according to Escudero.

“The perspectives of leaders on the ground are invaluable in determining which projects are necessary and which are not. They can also help flag possible overpricing in the appropriations being requested,” he pointed out.

Many projects have historically been listed in the budget without consulting local government units (LGUs) often due to politics. The result, he noted, has been wasteful spending and white-elephant projects.

“Teritoryo nila ang mga ito. Kaya sila ang mas makakasagot kung kailangan nga ba talaga. Their feedback is too important to be ignored,” the Senate chief  said, as he pushed to reverse the culture of top-down budgeting that has long dominated the process.

“One way to achieve this is by requiring the approval or endorsement of the respective Provincial Development Councils and the Regional Development Councils for all development projects so that, at the very least, each LGU will be informed and notified of the proposed programs and activities of the national government in the ensuing year,” he added.