To make deliberations for the 2026 budget more transparent, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing said that she will call for the abolition of the so-called small committee that deliberates budget amendments.
Suansing is instead proposing the introduction of a House Subcommittee for Budget Amendments Review through which “we will be able to streamline and facilitate the proposals for amendments” and “at the same time, our countrymen will be more assured that not only what kind of amendment or what kind of proposal is accepted or included in the budget.”
She also proposed that civil society organizations, people’s organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) be given a platform where they can give suggestions and raise questions about the budget.
“We intend to open the veil on the budget issue. Let’s prove to our countrymen that Congress has nothing to hide when it comes to the budget,” Suansing said in a mix of English and Filipino
The lawmaker also supported opening the bicameral conference committee proceedings to the public.
For his part, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, supported Suansing’s proposed reforms.
“This is the budget of the people, not the budget of Congress, not the budget of the government, but the budget of every Filipino. We want the public budget to show not only the needs of the few but the needs of the many,” Acidre said.
He added that the goal of these proposed reforms is to ensure that the entire budget process is not just a technical deliberation but a national conversation.
Suansing has since assured the public that the implementation of the proposed reforms will lead to the formulation of budgets in the future that are even more attuned to the requirements of national development.
“We want the fiscal year 2026 national budget and future budgets to be responsive to the needs of the Filipino people, and we are able to fund the important projects and aspirations as mentioned by our dear President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) during the SONA (State of the Nation Address), especially regarding human capital development — education, health, and livelihood,” Suansing concluded.
