Bill lets groups sit in budget talks – BusinessWorld Online
HOUSE SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday filed a resolution seeking to allow civil society groups to observe budget hearings at the chamber, aiming to fulfill his commitment to make the fiscal process more transparent.
House Resolution No. 94 directs the House appropriations committee to establish accreditation guidelines to allow civil groups to sit in on the budget discussions, which are expected to start in mid-August.
“We want a budget process that truly listens to the people,” Mr. Romualdez said in a statement on Thursday.
Minority senators and congressmen on Wednesday filed separate resolutions calling for greater transparency in the budget’s bicameral conference committee proceedings.
The push for reform comes after the 2025 budget process drew criticism when the bicameral committee raised unprogrammed funds to more than P500 billion and inserted allegedly blank line items, prompting concerns that changes were made after Congress ratified the bill.
Mr. Romualdez said he hopes the House plenary adopts the resolution before lawmakers start deliberation of the 2026 budget cycle.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee has proposed a P6.793-trillion budget, 7.4% higher than this year’s allocation and equivalent to 22% of the country’s economic output. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio