House resolution seeks to open budget talks to watchdogs
Speaker Martin Romualdez has filed his own resolution to open up the budget process to civil society, in a bid to follow through on an earlier promise to institutionalize reforms in public budgeting.
On Thursday, he and Tingog Representatives Yedda Romualdez, Andrew Romualdez and Jude Acidre filed House Resolution No. 94 which would allow public watchdogs and civil society observers to sit as nonvoting participants in all meetings of the powerful House committee on appropriations and all its subcommittees.
“It’s about giving citizens a seat at the table, through civil society organizations,” said Romualdez.
The resolution was filed a day after the leader of the 300-strong House promised to open up the secretive bicameral conference committee deliberations that reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the national budget bill.
It is also at this stage where insertions and last-minute realignments to the national budget happen away from public scrutiny, as it is the only part in the budgeting process that is not open to the public.
The resolution itself does not yet address whether public watchdogs can sit in the bicameral deliberations, although six members of the House minority led by Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno filed a House joint resolution on Tuesday opening the proceedings to the public.
Accreditation needed
If adopted before the official start of the budget cycle, bonafide people’s organizations can seek accreditation to observe all public hearings and deliberations of the House appropriations committee.
Romualdez and the other coauthors of the resolution cited as examples groups involved in education, public health, social welfare, environment, agriculture and local governance, to also bring expertise that could guide more responsive and grounded budgeting.
The House committee on appropriations, in coordination with the committee on people’s participation, will determine the eligibility, accreditation process, and scope of civil society groups’ participation in accordance with the chamber’s rules.
The push to involve civil society in the budget process aligns with President Marcos’ earlier calls for better fiscal governance and his administration’s efforts to realign government spending toward key priorities such as infrastructure, health and digitalization.
