Senate, House to form joint committee to monitor 2026 budget projects

A joint congressional oversight committee will be formed by the Senate and House of Representatives to monitor the implementation of projects funded by the 2026 national budget.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, announced that the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures will be composed of vice chairpersons from both legislative chambers.

The committee will scrutinize underspending by government agencies and foreign-assisted projects (FAPs).

It also intends to examine specific projects, such as hospital construction, considering the current hospital overcapacity.

The Department of Budget and Management assured that there will be no delays in the implementation of foreign-assisted projects despite government counterpart funds being vetoed in the 2026 budget, as the funds are already with the agencies.

As part of its oversight functions, the committee plans to conduct ocular inspections of government projects to ensure proper execution and check their progress.