Senate panel backs DENR budget, calls for drought preparedness funding

During a Monday hearing, the Senate Finance subcommittee gave its approval to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' budget proposal for 2027 and sent it to the plenary. Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna presented the plan, detailing funding for the department’s headquarters, regional offices, and its various bureaus. Senator Risa Hontiveros, who led the session, emphasized the need for the DENR to allocate sufficient resources for drought preparedness, including small-scale water impoundments and alternative water technologies.

She warned that the public should not bear the sole burden of climate-related adjustments. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano called for stronger ecological curricula in elementary and high schools, and Senator Pia Cayetano urged collaboration with education agencies to tailor programs for coastal and mountainous communities.