DBM backs

The Marcos administration is into fiscal consolidation amid lower revenues and more spending.

- — With Janvic Mateo

"If Congress opens bicameral deliberations, this will greatly help in earning the trust of the people for the national budget," Pangandaman said.

It's in the closed-door bicameral conference committee meeting that the two houses of Congress reconcile their versions of the budget.

Hontiveros said Romualdez's proposal was "one of the best suggestions I've heard from another government official." She said she hopes that budget deliberations would be more transparent in the 20th Congress.

"I'm always hopeful... The highest House official is making such a call. I hope our highest official here in the Senate will do the same," Hontiveros told reporters yesterday.

Lacson said he has also been pushing for opening the bicameral conference committee meeting to the public, or at least to accredited non-government organizations, civil society groups and the media.