Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday vowed that the House of Representatives would closely examine the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget.
“Every peso is earmarked, and every expense should benefit the people,” Romualdez told members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) at the start of the House hearings on next year’s outlay.
Four DBCC members briefed the House appropriations committee chaired by Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing on the 2026 National Expenditure Program proposed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to the 20th Congress.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan Jr., and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Eli Remolona Jr. are present in the discussions.
“To our partners in the Executive Branch, allow me to be clear: we will scrutinize, we will question, we will deliberate thoroughly. But we will do so not as adversaries, but as allies united by a shared purpose,” Romualdez said.
“For at the end of the day, at the heart of our collaboration lies a common goal: to deliver a better, more dignified life for every Filipino family,” he added.
Romualdez likened national fund allocation to budgeting by a Filipino family. “Just as every Filipino household plans its budget with care, we too must ensure that each peso serves a meaningful purpose,” he said.
“This is not merely a fiscal principle — it is a moral imperative. It is our solemn duty to translate this proposed ₱6.793 trillion budget into classrooms for our youth, medicine for our sick, roads for our farmers, jobs for our youth, and security for our nation.”
Romualdez said the House budget hearings are not just “a routine in fiscal exercise.”
“It is where the lifeblood of our nation — the people’s money — is measured against the people’s needs. Here, in this august chamber, we commence the critical work of transforming vision into action, and action into lasting progress,” he added.
He informed DBCC members, who are also part of the President’s economic team, that the House “has opened its doors wider than ever before” by welcoming civil society observers to promote “full transparency” in analyzing the budget.
“Transparency is not an option — it is the cornerstone of democratic governance,” Romualdez noted.
