By Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel
SENATE Finance Committee Chairman Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito said they might hold hearings on Saturdays to ensure the timely passage of the 2027 national budget amid scheduling pressures from the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio and regular legislative sessions.
Mr. Ejercito said the Senate’s calendar leaves limited time for budget deliberations, with impeachment proceedings and plenary sessions occupying much of the workweek.
“Budget hearings are confined only on Thursdays and Fridays,” Mr. Ejercito told BusinessWorld in a Viber message. “If there is a need, we may have to hold Saturday hearings as well just to finish the budget on time.”
The Senate aims to submit the enrolled General Appropriations Bill to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. by Dec. 18.
A timetable circulated by Mr. Ejercito showed the House of Representatives is scheduled to transmit the bill to the Senate on Oct. 9. House budget hearings on agency spending proposals are set from Aug. 17 to Sept. 8.
The Senate missed its target in the previous budget cycle. The enrolled copy of the 2026 budget bill was sent to Malacañang on Dec. 29, 2025, and signed by Mr. Marcos on Jan. 5.
Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian earlier said weather-related work suspensions pose an additional challenge to the chamber’s legislative timetable.
Political analysts said disruptions to the legislative calendar could slow action on key policy measures and test the Senate’s ability to manage competing priorities.
Paul Micah S.A. Francisco, a political science instructor at the University of Santo Tomas, said delays could have broader implications because lawmaking directly affects the government’s response to national issues.
“Their main duty is to create laws that can address problems in the country,” he said in a Messenger chat. “If their work is negatively affected by these suspensions, it is also suspending the creation of possible solutions for the country’s ills.”
Mr. Francisco said the overlap between budget deliberations and the impeachment proceedings could increase scrutiny of allocations for the Office of the Vice-President.
“This is possibly where issues related to the impeachment and budget deliberations really overlap,” he said. “There will be more attention and pressure on the members of the Senate when they tackle the budget for the Office of the Vice-President.”
Eric Daniel C. de Torres, a political science professor at the University of the East, said Congress should consider maximizing the workweek to improve legislative output.
“It is about time to improve productivity and legislative output by considering a five-day work for the Senate and House of Representatives, using an additional day that is Friday,” he said in a Messenger chat.
Hansley A. Juliano, a political science instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said lawmakers could consider staying within Senate premises when severe weather disrupts transportation.
“It is not unheard of for lawmakers in many countries to stay overnight within premises to maintain pace,” he said. “You can argue that is kind of drastic, but when one is behind schedule, even students and employees burn midnight oil. Why can’t they?”
Mr. Francisco said budget deliberations could be conducted online during disruptions, although he said this would not be appropriate for the impeachment trial.
Mr. Juliano said remote work arrangements could be used for congressional staff handling output-based tasks, but lawmakers themselves should continue reporting onsite to demonstrate leadership during disruptions.