Budget watchdog welcomes Dy’s transparency commitment

MANILA, Philippines —  A leading member of the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) welcomed Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s commitment to greater transparency and accountability in the national budget process and to working with civil society groups to achieve those goals.

In a Facebook post, Kenneth Isaiah Ibasco Abante, a PBC member, thanked Dy for meeting with budget watchdogs and acknowledging areas where the House could improve its procedures for scrutinizing and disclosing government projects.

“Thank you, Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III, for meeting with the People’s Budget Coalition last Wednesday, acknowledging the points for improvement in the House process, and committing to working with us budget watchdogs and civil society groups to open up these documents and deliberations so that every taxpayer can verify where our taxes go,” Abante said in his post.

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He issued his statement after Dy announced that the House was prepared to disclose supporting documents for government projects and promote greater transparency in budget deliberations.

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According to a House statement on Friday, the development marks a significant shift toward constructive engagement between lawmakers and civil society organizations that have raised questions about project documentation, technical descriptions, and amendments in the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2027.

Dy has expressed support for making project documentation accessible so that proposed appropriations can be examined against their supporting studies, technical specifications, project locations, and implementing agencies’ validation.

Such disclosures would help distinguish properly documented and justified budget amendments from questionable allocations that require further scrutiny.

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Dy’s approach also reinforces the principle that government projects should be evaluated on their merits, supporting documentation, and benefits to the public, rather than on allegations alone.

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The engagement with the People’s Budget Coalition comes as the proposed 2027 budget undergoes further scrutiny in the Senate ahead of bicameral deliberations. /atm