The Senate building at the GSIS Complex in Pasay City. (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — A joint resolution seeking transparency and accountability in the bicameral conference committee processes for national funding has been filed in the Senate.
Joint Senate Resolution No. 1 was introduced and signed by Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III; Sen. Risa Hontiveros; Sen. Ping Lacson; Sen. Loren Legarda; Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri; Sen. Kiko Pangilinan; and Sen. Bam Aquino.
In the joint measure, the senators said the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill were marked by budget irregularities and distortions.
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“The most serious irregularity was the violation of the constitutionally mandated provision that education shall have the highest budgetary priority,” the measure states.
To recall, Lacson previously raised concern over the 2025 budget, saying that education was not given priority in crafting the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
Lacson argued that this goes against the 1987 Constitution, specifically Section 5, paragraph 5 of Article XIV, which requires the government to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education.”
“Having vetoed only P26.065B from the P288B ‘congressional insertions,’ mostly in the bicameral conference, the budget for education is still not ‘assigned the highest budgetary priority’ contrary to Article XIV Sec. 5(5) of the 1987 Constitution,” he noted.
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Meanwhile, the joint resolution further stated that corruption and harmful political insertions in legislation lead to the unfair use of public funds.
“Corruption deprives the poor and the underprivileged of food security, decent housing, timely healthcare, quality and accessible education, and effective responses to the climate emergency. It also slows down progress toward achieving goals,” the measure adds.
With these, the senators want all bicameral conference committee deliberations to be open to the public, whether conducted in person or through digital livestreaming.
The senators also demanded that the bicameral conference committee produce a matrix comparing the differences between the House of Representatives’ and the Senate’s versions of the bills, and how these differences were resolved.
Lastly, the senators called on the bicameral conference committee to immediately produce comprehensive minutes of the meetings, which will also be made available to the public. /jpv