Open bicam budget deliberations pushed

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate minority bloc will move to open bicameral conference committee meetings to the public, taking a cue from the House of Representatives, which adopted the same setup through a resolution approved on Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III said he and his colleagues in the minority are determined to initiate the opening of bicameral meetings to the public “with or without the resolution.”

He was apparently referring to the Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 seeking to make the national budget process open to the public.

“Approving the reso is a plus factor,” he told reporters.

A House resolution approved on Tuesday allows the participation of accredited civil society organizations as observers in bicameral conference committee meetings on the national budget.

Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian said Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 seeks to “fortify” the national budget process through institutionalized strict transparency and accountability measures to “ensure that every peso is protected, properly spent and aligned with the nation’s true priorities.”

“This will be the ‘golden age of transparency and accountability.’ As finance committee chairman, I will not allow any insertion in the budget,” the senator said.

Under the concurrent resolution, all budget-related documents are required to be uploaded on the Senate and House websites.

“Existing technological innovations now allow for centralized, accessible and searchable platforms for budget data that are responsive to the principles of open government and digital governance,” said Gatchalian, noting that budget-related documents are currently not easily accessible to the public.

“Such transparency reform will enable an informed public to push for accountability on the use of public funds,” he added.

Stick to budget ‘menu’

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has made clear her opposition to insertions in next year’s budget, as she stressed that flood control projects should come from the “menu” prepared by the department.

She said flood control projects require proper planning and interventions, thus the need for Congress to align the budget with the National Expenditure Program.

She said having a menu of vetted flood control and water management projects across the country would help the government address national needs more systematically.

For the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the key to transparency and corruption-free governance is full compliance with Republic Act 12009, or the New Government Procurement Act.

“I hope you all follow the law. It’s for us, it’s for our countrymen,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a statement in Filipino yesterday.

He said the law aimed  to modernize and streamline procurement procedures, eliminate corruption at all levels and restore public trust in government.

The New Government Procurement Act, signed into law on July 20, 2024, revised RA 9184 and introduced reforms that professionalize procurement and strengthen digital systems.

For his part, DILG Undersecretary Omar Alexander Romero called on stakeholders to treat procurement as a core governance tool.

Rep. Isidro Ungab of Davao City’s third district called on his House colleagues to “restore public trust and integrity to the budget process by correcting the injustices of the 2025 budget.”

He also raised “grave concerns over potential constitutional violations in the 2025 appropriations process,” calling on fellow lawmakers to “prioritize the welfare and health rights of the Filipino people over political expediency.”

Reforms ready

The House leadership said reforms in the budget process will be seen in the upcoming hearings, the first one tentatively set for Sept. 1.

“This isn’t about optics. It’s about outcomes. These changes aren’t just procedural – they are political, moral and constitutional commitments to restore faith in how public funds are handled,” appropriations committee chairperson Rep. Mikaela Suansing said.

“This is not just reform. This is transformation. Under the leadership of Speaker Romualdez, the House is opening its doors, lifting the curtain and bringing the people back to the center of the budget process where they rightfully belong,” she added.