SENATE President Francis “Chiz” Escudero yesterday urged the Committee on Finance to invite local government executives to the budget deliberations so they can actively participate in the crafting of the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026.
Escudero said it is time to break the long-standing practice that governors and mayors are excluded in budget hearings since they are the ones who are directly responsible for implementing projects in their respective jurisdictions.
He said this would balance the budget process, noting that department heads and bureau officials routinely appear before the Senate to defend their budgets, thus, the same should be the case for local government officials so they will have the venue to air their views regarding the national budget.
“If division heads of small bureaus attend budget hearings, why can’t we allow the heads of provinces and big cities to participate?” he asked in Filipino.
Escudero said local chief officials are leaders on the ground that can help “vet and verify” whether projects in the proposed budget truly respond to the needs of their constituents.
He said local leaders know well what their areas need since they are the ones in-charge of their affairs, adding that it is time 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 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 national government in the ensuing year,” he said.
Escudero said that many projects have been included in the budget proposal without consulting local government units, often times due to politics, which results to wasteful spending of government funds and white-elephant projects.
