THE Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday approved the Office of the President’s (OP) proposed P10.15-billion budget for next year, a lower funding as it reflects the lower operational requirements of its delivery units.
Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto said the lower budget also reflects the completion of the Philippines’ hosting requirements for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in November 2026, which does not need additional funding.
Meanwhile, the lower allocations for the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) threaten to close Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC-13) and halt building renovations for the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
The PCO’s budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027 gave zero budget for the IBC-13 and the PIA building in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, PCO’s Acting Secretary Dave M. Gomez said.
Chloe S. de Castro-Cruz, PIA director-general, said they included P201 million in the NEP, which is inclusive of the P100-million budget needed for the first phase, P11 million for new elevators, and P40 million for multilevel parking. Rental fees for a temporary office for February or March 2027 were not included.
The PIA building also houses groups like the Philippine News Agency, People’s Television Network, and Radyo Pilipinas.
IBC-13, meanwhile, needs P680 million to continue operations, saving the jobs of 106 permanent employees and around 304 contractual workers, IBC President Jose Policarpio, Jr. said.
Without additional funding, the PIA and other agencies will have no building to house their operations and, by Jan. 1, IBC-13 may have to go off-the-air, Mr. Gomez said. — Francessca S. Abalos