More room to improve budget transparency, steps were taken – solons

MANILA, Philippines — While admitting there is room for improvement regarding budget transparency, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia has maintained that the House has been working on existing and new reforms to ensure a clear process in crafting the appropriations plan.

In a press briefing on Monday, Garcia, vice chair of the House committee on appropriations, which prepares the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), reminded the public that they have continued the reforms initiated in 2025 for the 2026 budget cycle, and are looking toward initiating more measures to boost transparency.

Among the existing reforms Garcia referred to are the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc), which replaced the small committee and addresses amendments before the budget bill’s passage on final reading, and the livestreaming of the bicameral conference committee hearings.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Solon says House only amended P115B in 2027 budget bill

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

“Let us acknowledge the fact that we have made earth-shaking reforms with regard to the budget,” Garcia said. “These are new reforms that have never happened before. And we’re learning as we go along.”

“Are we happy with the reforms? Are we complete with the reforms? Is it perfect already? No. Far from it,” Garcia said. “We welcome the critique of the media and our civil society, the church. And we try to improve as we go along.”

READ: Farm-to-market road errors ‘blown out of proportion’ – House rep

One of the reforms, Garcia said, was the creation of an online portal which civil society organizations and budget watchdogs can use to monitor allocations.

Article continues after this advertisement

Garcia also noted that this is a directive from the House leadership led by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos.

“With regard to the ghost project, the Speaker said, ‘Not on my watch,’” Garcia said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Several lawmakers have also supported calls for greater transparency and the portal, which will also prompt representatives to explain the allocations provided to their districts.

No objection

Camarines Sur Rep. Arnie Fuentebella said that his party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition, has no objection to making information on projects and allocations in individual districts available to the public.

“Wala po kaming problema na ipakita kung ano ’yung mga proyekto sa kanya-kanyang distrito,” Fuentebella said at a press conference. “We want to be very transparent. And makikita naman po talaga ito.

(We have no problem showing what the projects in our districts are. We want to be very transparent. And we can clearly see this.)

Negros Oriental Rep. Janice Degamo of Lakas-CMD and Davao del Norte Rep. JM Lagdameo of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas shared their fellow lawmakers’ sentiments.

“Every member of the party is open to show the budget,” Degamo said. “Walang tinatago po ang mga kasama natin in the party.”

(No one in our party is hiding anything.)

“On behalf of PFP, we share the same sentiment as Honorable Fuentebella and Honorable Degamo on the point of transparency for our budget and the budget process. We’re okay to have it open, as well as the portal being available also as a method or a means of transparency,” Lagdameo added.

Similarly, Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. said the Nacionalista Party has no qualms about the portal and the disclosure of district allocations.

“Wala hong problema ang Nacionalista Party in terms of allocations,” Momo said.

(The Nacionalista Party does not see any problem in terms of allocations.)

“We believe that there is no equal allocation in each district. Wala hong equal talaga,” he added. “May malalaking distrito, may mga distrito ang dinadaanan ng bagyo, may mga distrito maraming river systems, mayroon mga distrito na laging prone to typhoons and earthquakes.”

(We believe that there is no equal allocation in each district. Nothing is equal there. There are big districts, then there are those hit by typhoons, there are districts with many river systems, then some are prone to typhoons and earthquakes.)

The House has been facing several questions regarding the proposed 2027 national budget, as contained in the General Appropriations Bill, for having issues involving allegedly inserted projects, wrong coordinates for projects, and the return of flood control projects.

Blown out of proportion

Fuentebella and other lawmakers have previously pointed out that the errors in the coordinates of projects, like farm-to-market roads (FMRs), have been blown out of proportion, as only a minimal number of items are affected.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed this during a hearing held by the House committee on agriculture and food.

“There are just eight lang (only), out of [more than] 1,600. It seems to be blown out of proportion. Like the whole budget or coordinates of the farm-to-market roads were wrong,” Fuentebella said in a mix of Filipino and English.

READ: House adds clause to correct budget bill’s tech errors, wrong project details

DA Assistant Secretary for Operations U-Nichols Manalo confirmed that eight projects had errors and clarified that all 1,669 FMR projects were included in the National Expenditure Program, or the proposed budget submitted by the executive branch to Congress.

The errors were carried over when the House approved its version of the 2027 proposed budget.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Garcia, meanwhile, assured the public last Thursday that the House incorporated a provision into the GAB that would authorize corrections to clerical errors in blueprint details. /cb