By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter
THE HOUSE of Representatives’ approval of the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 signals “business as usual,” as lawmakers sidestepped deeper reforms despite pledges of transparency amid a widening scandal over flood control spending, analysts said over the weekend.
Congress should make the 2026 spending plan’s bicameral conference committee process more transparent to help rebuild public trust and ensure that spending priorities align with genuine development needs rather than political interests, they added.
“After the flood control scandal, Congress needed to be bold,” AJ A. Montesa, an advisor at budget watchdog People’s Budget Coalition, said in a Viber message. “This was their chance to restore public trust in the budget process and prove that corruption and pork barrel politics were truly being eliminated.”
“Unfortunately, it ended up being almost business as usual.”
Congressmen last week approved on second reading the massive spending bill amid a multibillion-peso flood control scandal that has gripped the flood-prone country, reallocating funds originally earmarked for flood infrastructure to education, health and agriculture in a bid to boost human capital development.
The move came alongside efforts to open the budget process to greater scrutiny, though critics warned it fell short of meaningful reform.
The budget bill’s final approval is set for Oct. 13 (Monday).
While the reforms have fallen short for now, University of Makati political science professor Ederson DT. Tapia said the changes mark a step toward greater transparency in a budget process long criticized for opacity and political maneuvering.
“Given the public’s temperature, they have to start with something,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “But it can be more than what we’ve seen so far.”
The House Appropriations Committee introduced a series of reforms in this year’s budget cycle, including inviting civil society groups to participate in budget briefings and offer input.
It also scrapped the long-standing “small committee” of select lawmakers that previously amended the spending bill through a sub-panel on budget adjustments.
“Civil society organizations were invited to observe the early committee hearings, but after that, it was as if they were forgotten,” said Mr. Montesa, whose group was accredited to participate in the House budget process.
Budget watchdogs were not briefed on subsequent steps in the process, including sub-committee amendments, he said.
“The resolutions or reports from those meetings weren’t even shared with civil groups,” he said. “We had to rely on a few House members who were open to engaging with civil society.”
Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing, who heads the House appropriations panel, did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
“If Congress truly wants to restore public trust, it must take citizen participation seriously. Transparency alone is not enough,” Mr. Montesa said.
He urged lawmakers to open the bicameral conference committee meetings on the spending bill to the public, saying the traditionally closed-door process has kept people in the dark about last-minute changes to the national budget.
“There is no reason to hide the bicameral meetings of the budget process from the people,” he said.
The Senate passed a resolution in August to open joint congressional budget talks to the public, but the House has yet to adopt a counterpart measure.
House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo V. Puno said the chamber has committed to opening bicameral budget talks to the public, but noted that formal approval may no longer be necessary as the move could be implemented by “operation of existing procedures.”
“The House leadership is already committed to opening the bicameral meetings,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview in Filipino. “So, I’m not sure that resolution is even necessary, since that’s already the declared intent of the leadership.”
He said the House Appropriations Committee can declare the joint congressional talks open to the public without needing plenary approval. “It doesn’t need to go to the full House.”
“But if there’s any doubt about whether the bicameral meetings will be open to the media and the public, that can be resolved once we return,” he added, noting that congressmen are currently focused on passing the budget on final reading before addressing the issue.
Mr. Puno said if the bicameral meeting is open, then there would be no more “project smuggling.”
“Transparency becomes the best antidote to illegal activity,” he said.
In addition to opening joint congressional budget talks, lawmakers should consider establishing an open budget transparency server that enables the public to track individual proposals in real time — making it easier to scrutinize who proposes what and when, Mr. Montesa said.
