By Brian Campued
“Bawat piso ay may pinaglalaanan, at bawat gastusin ay dapat may pakinabang sa tao.”
The House of Representatives would ensure that every peso included in the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026 benefits Filipinos, Speaker Martin Romualdez said, as lawmakers began deliberations Monday with a commitment to transparency, accountability, and public participation.
In his opening remarks, Romualdez vowed that the lower chamber would closely scrutinize the proposed national budget and ensure that it would translate into “classrooms for our youth, medicine for our sick, roads for our farmers, jobs for our youth, and security for our nation.”
“For at the end of the day, at the heart of our collaboration lies a common goal: to deliver a better, more dignified life for every Filipino family,” he said.
Part of the reforms the House is implementing for its budget deliberations, Romualdez announced that the “small committee” which was previously tasked to collate institutional amendments to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) has been abolished.
He also welcomed the participation of civil society organizations as mandated by the House Memorandum Circular No. 20-002, allowing accredited groups to observe committee and plenary hearings, obtain materials presented during deliberations, file written position papers within set deadlines, and present consolidated sectoral views at points designated by the House.
“We ended the practice of the ‘small committee’. We welcomed civil society observers. Because the Filipino people deserve full transparency in how their hard-earned money is planned, allocated, and spent,” he said,
Echoing the Speaker’s statement, House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing stressed that Filipinos should have a direct stake in how their taxes are spent.
“Our commitment is firm: In this budget and in the years to come, we are bringing the Filipino people back to the center of the budget process where you rightfully belong,” Suansing said.
“Ang bawat piso ng budget na ito ay galing sa dugo at pawis ng mga Pilipino, kaya magiging masusi po ang deliberasyon ng inyong Kongreso sa mga darating na buwan upang siguraduhin na ang bawat piso ay mailalaan para sa ikabubuti ng ating mga kababayan,” she added.
During the House hearing, four members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefed the appropriations committee on 2026 NEP, which was transmitted by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Sec. Amenah Pangandaman on Aug. 13.
Aside from Pangandaman, who chairs the DBCC, also present at the hearing were Department of Finance (DOF) Sec. Ralph Recto, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Sec. Arsenio Balisacan Jr., and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Zeno Ronald Abenoja—who provided updates on the macroeconomic assumptions, fiscal and growth targets, economic advancements, and strategies for the coming year, in support of the proposed budget.
“Sana po ay inyong pagtuunan ng pansin ang budget na ito—dahil sa bawat programang inilaan dito, nakasalalay ang pag-angat ng buhay ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na ng mga kabataan,” Pangandaman said.
Suansing likewise noted that her committee “fully support the framework laid out by the DBCC, which emphasizes human capital development” in crafting the 2026 national budget.
“Sisiguraduhin po ng Kongreso na ang P6.793 trillion na budget ng ating bansa ay pakikinabangan ng ating mga kababayan,” the Nueva Ecija solon said. (with report from Mela Lesmoras / PTV News)
-jpv
