House to continue transparency measures in budget talks – Suansing

MANILA, Philippines — Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing said Tuesday that the House of Representatives will sustain efforts to make scrutiny of the 2027 spending plan more transparent as lawmakers prepare to begin budget deliberations.

Suansing said the House Appropriations Committee, which she heads, will be “very transparent and open” in reviewing and amending the proposed P7.2-trillion budget for next year, building on reforms introduced last year.

She said her panel would convene a budget review subcommittee to scrutinize potential spending amendments put forward by lawmakers. The Appropriations Committee would also keep its channels open for comments and queries from civil society groups, she added.

READ: DBM submits P7.2-trillion proposed budget for 2027 to Congress

“This year, we can see that we can institute closer coordination between civil society organizations and their respective vice chairpersons of the committee on appropriations handling respective agencies,” she told a media briefing. 

The Department of Budget and Management on Tuesday handed over the 2027 National Expenditure Program to Congress. Suansing said the House will start budget deliberations on Aug. 17.

“We target to finish the budget deliberations in the House… on third reading by Oct. 9,” she said.

The national budget is an executive proposal, but spending still must pass through Congress, where allocations can be cut or tweaked at lawmakers’ discretion.

Last year’s deliberations saw changes after sweeping reforms were introduced to boost budget transparency, following a controversy over alleged insertions in previous budgets. /das