Ched Rick Gatchalian

Sen. Win Gatchalian scrutinizes the reason and criteria for choosing the locations where the US troops will have access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) during the Committee on Foreign Relations general inquiry on the 2014 EDCA on April 19, 2023. Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB

 

Sen. Win Gatchalian scrutinizes the reason and criteria for choosing the locations where the US troops will have access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) during the Committee on Foreign Relations general inquiry on the 2014 EDCA on April 19, 2023. 

At least four locations had earlier been identified as additional EDCA sites: Camilo Osias Naval Base in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.  

If the end-goal of EDCA is for humanitarian and disaster-response purposes, Gatchalian pointed out that there are other areas that are more disaster-prone than the four locations chosen as additional EDCA sites for purposes of quick response. “That’s why I’m looking for the end-goal. If the end-goal is to help capacitate ourselves or to ward off terrorism, I assume that the [EDCA] sites will be located in areas where we need to strengthen our capacities. That’s why I’m looking for the end-goal,” Gatchalian said. Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB

Article (news)

Gatchalian concerned over three vetoed items in 2026 national budget

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176769374318020230419-senate-sherwin-gatchalian-sprib-2.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Win Gatchalian scrutinizes the reason and criteria for choosing the locations where the US troops will have access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) during the Committee on Foreign Relations general inquiry on the 2014 EDCA on April 19, 2023. <em>Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Of the items vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) of the 2026 national budget, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, said he is concerned about three items.</div><p>These are the Fiscal Support Arrearages for Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program, Revitalizing the Automative Industry for Competitiveness Enhancement (RACE) program, and the Government of the Philippines (GOP) Counterpart of Foreign Assisted Projects.</p><p>Marcos, during the budget signing, vetoed nearly P92.5 billion of the P243 billion UA.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/5/marcos-vetoes-nearly-p92-5-b-worth-of-unprogrammed-appropriations-for-2026-1039">Marcos vetoes nearly P92.5-B worth of unprogrammed appropriations for 2026</a></div><p>In a press conference on Tuesday, Gatchalian said the CARS and RACE programs involve the country’s debt to automotive companies Toyota and Mitsubishi totaling about P4.2 billion.</p><p>“Pumunta sila dito para mag-invest ang sabi natin, bibigyan namin kayo ng tax incentives. For the last four or five years hindi natin nabibigay yung tax incentive na yun. Umiiyak na yung Toyota and Mitsubishi,” Gatchalian said.</p><p>“Ang potential effects kasi niya is more on reputation natin to the foreign investors,” he added. “Ang worry ko lang baka kumalat sa buong mundo na nangangako tayo pero hindi naman natin tinutupad.”</p><p>One solution Gatchalian sees is the use of the President’s contingency fund to pay the debt.</p><p>“The other one is a book entry. Mag-usap ang DBM at ang BIR to come up with a creative solution kasi book entry lang naman ito. Para ma-free up si Toyota and Mitsubishi sa kanilang accounts payable. In other words, accounts payable ni Mitsubishi Toyota, ita-transfer sa national government,” Gatchalian said.</p><p>Foreign assisted projects, meanwhile, are expected to come in around the second to fourth quarter of the year but without a GOP counterpart, Gatchalian said there will also be no loan counterpart.</p><p>“Doon sa veto message ni Presidente, sabi niya naka-built in na naman sa programmed appropriation yung GOP counterpart. So ang tingin ko diyan, kung hindi magkukulang, gagamitin niya yung kanyang contingency fund para mabayaran yung GOP counterpart,” Gatchalian said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://Marcos vetoes nearly P92.5-B worth of unprogrammed appropriations for 2026">&#x27;Cleanest budget ever&#x27;: Senators laud signing of 2026 budget, veto of UAs</a></div><p>He also emphasized that the most important when it comes to the UA is the removal of the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs (SAGIP), which amounts to P80 billion.</p><p>“SAGIP kasi lump sum to eh. Anything under the sun, kahit anong maisip mo, puwede mong ipasok sa SAGIP. So in the past naabuso yung SAGIP,” he said. “Naging source rin siya ng mga ghost projects at corrupt flood control projects.”</p><p>Asked why UA exist in the first place, Gatchalian said it is only passed to them by Malacañang.</p><p>He said he respects those who want to question the UA’s constitutionality before the Supreme Court. If the high tribunal rules against UA, then it will no longer be part of the budget.</p><div>  </div><div><strong>JOINT CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE</strong></div><p>Gatchalian also said that both houses of Congress will create for the first time a joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures to inspect and scrutinize certain projects.  </p><p>“I-o-organize namin ‘to at meron na akong mga items na gusto kong matignan for example, underspending ng mga agencies, yung … foreign assisted projects, some projects na kailangan nating i-drill down pa like for example yung pagpapagawa ng hospitals dahil overcapacity na yung mga hospitals natin. So yung mga ganitong bagay para pagdating ng budget di lang isang araw isang agency, alam mo na yung konteksto o alam mo na yung context nung pag-uusapan niyo during the budget briefings,” he explained.</p><p>According to Gatchalian, the committee can make recommendations depending on their findings.</p><p>He will still need to talk to the House of Representatives regarding how many members it will have.</p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/28/lacson-guarding-use-of-2026-budget-next-challenge-for-public-0922">Lacson: Guarding use of 2026 budget ‘next challenge’ for public</a></div>

<p>Of the items vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) of the 2026 national budget, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, said he is concerned about three items.</p>

Of the items vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) of the 2026 national budget, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, said he is concerned about three items.