Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco is urging greater transparency in the budget process in the House of Representatives, echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. \’s call for budget reforms during his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA).
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Tiangco challenged the House leadership to demonstrate its full support for the President’s call for transparency by releasing the minutes of the Small Committee meetings on the proposed 2025 national budget.
“At kung seryoso talaga sa transparency, i-post sa website ng House of Representatives ang minutes ng Small Committee sa 2025 Budget. Kung walang minutes, anong transparency ang sinasabi nila at bakit pa nila ito ipagpapatuloy sa 2026 Budget?” Tiangco said.
“Anong klaseng proseso ang hindi pwedeng i-record o i-review ng publiko? Gusto ba talaga nilang sundin ang panawagan ng Pangulo para sa reporma sa budget? O nagkukunwari lang?” he added.
Tiangco also took issue with the claim made by House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s spokesperson that he had only recently raised concerns about the existence of the Small Committee in the budget process.
“Sinubukan ko na yan noong una akong pumasok sa Kongreso, pero hindi umobra. Ngayong malinaw ang panawagan mismo ni President Bongbong Marcos sa SONA—transparency, lalo na sa budget—baka may pag-asa na,” Tiangco explained.
Tiangco reminded the House leadership that, under House rules, individual amendments to the budget should be deliberated in plenary, not behind closed doors in a Small Committee.
“Ang ibig sabihin ay base sa aming Rules, ang individual amendments ay talagang ginagawa sa plenary session. Sa lahat ng nakaraang budget, ang mayorya ang naghahain ng motion na amyendahan ang rules para gumawa ng Small Committee na binubuo ng apat na tao lamang. At sa lahat ng ipinapasang batas, sa General Appropriations Bill o budget lang ito ginagawa. Sa lahat ng ibang batas, walang Small Committee,” he explained.
While acknowledging that not all amendments are detrimental, Tiangco stressed that budget insertions–another form of amendment–are often made during Small Committee sessions, far from public scrutiny.
“Kaya kung walang tinatago, anong ikinatatakot nilang pag-usapan ito nang hayagan sa open session? Ang matatakot lang sa public discussion ng individual amendments ay yung may itinatago. Kung maganda ang intensyon, bakit ayaw nilang gawin din ito sa harap ng taumbayan sa Plenary Session?” Tiangco emphasized.
“Halos isang buwan pinag-uusapan ang budget. Bakit dedesisyonan ng apat na tao sa tagong paraan ang amendments dito kung puwedeng lantaran itong pag-usapan? Apat na tao lang ang bumubuo ng Small Committee, sila na lang ba ang Kongreso?” he added.