Manila, Sept. 10 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday welcomed the approval of its PHP11.8-billion budget by the Senate Finance Subcommittee A, even as it flagged the need for additional support to meet the demands of the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

During the hearing, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had trimmed their original PHP18.07-billion proposal by PHP6.22 billion, leaving the agency with limited resources to prepare for the polls.

"Yung na-propose po naming budget, nabawasan ng more or less 6 billion pesos... kaya ang matitira na lang sa amin ay PHP9.5 billion (Our proposed budget was reduced by around PHP6 billion... so only...