According to BioBioChile, the People's Party (PDG) on Saturday made its support for José Antonio Kast's government's 2027 Budget conditional. The PDG is not part of the government but has backed several of its measures. Its objection concerns the termination of programs such as Yo Elijo Mi PC and the Foundation for the Promotion and Development of Women (Prodemu). Other media outlets have not yet confirmed this information.
The bill allocates no resources next year to Yo Elijo Mi PC, a flagship education policy. In 2026, the program provided computers to 96 thousand 100 students. There are no funds for a repeat distribution in 2027.
For Prodemu, the proposal funds its operations only until March 31, 2027. It also includes money to close and liquidate the foundation. If Congress does not change the text, Prodemu could cease to exist. It currently has a deficit of 1,501 million pesos.
The Office of the Comptroller General raised another problem. According to the agency, Prodemu cannot use public money from its agreements with the National Service for Women and Gender Equity to pay employment benefits exceeding those required by law.
The cuts also affect employment and emergencies. The National Training and Employment Service (Sence) would have half the resources for its Trades Training program, which would fall from 26 thousand to 13 thousand million pesos. The disaster risk management program of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) would fall from 842 to 584 million pesos.
The governing coalition voiced support for the executive. Republican Deputy Paz Charpentier, who serves on the Housing and Education committees, argued that programs failing to meet their objectives should be eliminated. In her view, anyone seeking to retain them must justify the spending. "The burden of proof falls on those who want to retain that poorly rated public program," she said.
National Renewal Deputy Daniel Valenzuela supported ending Prodemu. However, he drew a line at computers for schoolchildren, saying that he and other colleagues "will not give ground on that." He also called on ministers to listen to Congress's proposals.
Deputy Patricio Briones announced that his political group will vote according to what the government does. He demands the immediate restoration of funding for school equipment and the strengthening of Sence. He also calls for continued support for Prodemu's women entrepreneurs and for Senapred not to be weakened in the regions.
In the opposition, Socialist Deputy Carolina Cucumides questioned the spending increase announced by the government. According to her, the growth is measured against a baseline previously reduced by decree. Her parliamentary group will seek to reverse the cuts budget line by budget line.
The source does not specify how many votes the PDG brings or whether the government will open negotiations. The review of budget allocations remains underway, and passage of the bill is scheduled for November 30.
