Fireworks over transparency as budget hearings begin

The House of Representatives' committee on appropriations began deliberations yesterday on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, with Speaker Martin Romualdez assuring the public of full transparency during hearings.

- By DELON PORCALLA and KEISHA TA-ASAN

But fireworks over transparency marked the start of the hearings, with Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco demanding—and failing to get—the report of the "small committee" for fiscal year 2025.

Tiangco said the report would show who proposed realignments in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"We need a copy of that small committee (report). We are all entitled to that copy. Where is transparency here? I want to have a copy of the records of that committee," the independent congressman told appropriations panel chair Rep. Mikaela Suansing.

Stressing that she was not yet the panel chair at the time, Suansing said the small committee deliberations were incorporated into the committee on appropriations report. But Tiangco said this was not supposed to be the process.

"I need to have a copy of that because I want to know whose district got more and whose district got less (in funding). Kung may nadagdagan, sigurado may nabawasan," said Tiangco, a vocal critic of Romualdez.

Tiango cited a colleague whose NEP district allocation was just P2.3 billion, but which surged to about P20 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

He said this also happened in the district of another congressman, whom he did not name.

The House appropriations committee chair for the 2025 GAA was Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, who has been linked to Sunwest Construction, one of 15 companies that President Marcos said had cornered flood control projects nationwide since 2022.

At yesterday's session, Secretaries Amenah Pangandaman of the DBM, Ralph Recto of the Department of Finance, Arsenio Balisacan Jr. of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr. briefed the House leadership—including Suansing—on the NEP for 2026.