MANILA – The House of Representatives has revised its schedule of hearings on the proposed PHP6.793-trillion 2027 national budget following disruptions caused by inclement weather but remains on track to complete committee-level deliberations within its original timetable, House Committee on Appropriations Chair Rep. Mika Suansing said Wednesday.

Under the revised schedule, budget briefings will resume on Aug. 24, with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Justice, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Department of Science and Technology scheduled to appear before the appropriations panel.

“We have adjusted our schedule to make up for the hearings that could not proceed because of the inclement weather. We have a responsibility to thoroughly scrutinize the proposed national budget, but we also have a timetable to meet. We intend to do both,” Suansing said.

The revised calendar compresses several agency briefings into each hearing day, with simultaneous hearings in different venues when necessary. Committee-level budget hearings are scheduled to run through Sept. 8.

Among the agencies scheduled to appear next week are the Department of National Defense, Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Commission on Audit on Aug. 25; the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Migrant Workers on Aug. 26; and the Office of the President, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Commission on Higher Education, and Presidential Communications Office on Aug. 27.

Hearings will continue in September, covering major agencies including the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Energy, Transportation, Education, Social Welfare and Development, and Labor and Employment, as well as the Office of the Vice President, the Judiciary and other constitutional offices.

Suansing said the committee is maintaining flexibility in the calendar to accommodate possible further disruptions without compromising the quality of budget scrutiny or the House’s timetable.

“We know there may be other circumstances beyond our control that could affect the schedule. We are factoring those possibilities into our planning now so that, even if adjustments become necessary, we can still meet our target for completing the budget process,” she said.

The appropriations chair stressed that maintaining the schedule would not mean rushing agency officials or limiting lawmakers’ examination of spending proposals.

“Hindi natin isasakripisyo ang masusing pagsusuri sa budget para lamang makahabol sa schedule. What we are doing is managing our time better and making the necessary adjustments early so that every agency can still be properly scrutinized and every peso in the proposed budget can be properly accounted for,” Suansing said.

She added that completing committee deliberations on time would give the House sufficient opportunity to conduct plenary deliberations and proceed with the succeeding stages of the budget process.

“Our goal remains the same: a budget that is carefully and transparently examined, responsive to the needs of our people, and approved on time. We will make the adjustments necessary to get there without compromising the work that Congress is expected to do,” she said.