‘Open Bicam’ gets bipartisan support
Elected members of the House of Representatives crossed party lines and supported the call of Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez to make bicameral committee hearings more accessible to the public with a view to transparency and accountability in the budget process in the upcoming 20th Congress.
4Ps party list Rep. Marcelino Libanan, minority leader in the 19th Congress, lauded Romualdez for the “bold step forward for transparency and democratic accountability.”
“The national budget is the clearest expression of our priorities,” he said. “It must be debated and finalized not behind closed doors, but in full view of the people whose lives will be most affected by it,” said Libanan, whose party kept its seats in the 20th Congress along with Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos.
“Allowing the public to witness the bicam discussions upholds the principle that citizens have a right to know how their money is being allocated,” Libanan said, adding that public scrutiny would ensure the budget would reflect the needs of ordinary Filipinos and not political convenience or closed-door arrangements.
Libanan expressed hope that public access to bicameral conference committee deliberations on the national budget would be institutionalized across future Congresses, saying, “Once we open the door, let’s make sure it stays open.”
“This is how we build lasting public trust in our deliberative institutions—by making openness the norm, not the exception,” the lawmaker concluded.
Across the spectrum
Even legislators typically very critical of the Marcos administration welcomed Romualdez’s support for the “#OpenBicam” campaign, but warned that the commitment should translate into genuine openness and accountability, and not just another “photo opportunity.”
“Transparency is not just about opening the doors or putting cameras in the room. It means providing full public disclosure of all bicameral amendments, the rationale behind each change, and their impact on key services like education, health and social welfare. Anything less is simply for show,” said Rep. Antonio Tinio of the ACT Teachers party list.
The Makabayan bloc only managed to win two seats in the 20th Congress—Tinio and Renee Co of Kabataan party list. The bloc fielded 11 senatorial candidates last month, but failed to secure a seat in the Senate.
In the House, the bloc even lost one partylist seat, further trimming its ability to drive legislation—even with all 63 party list lawmakers behind them.
Romualdez made the call to support #OpenBicam campaign over the weekend as he quietly mustered support to ensure he would keep the speakership come July 28, when the House reconvenes.
By almost all accounts, he is expected to retain the speakership with the votes of 285 of the House’s 317 congressmen, but he still hosted a “fellowship dinner” for newly elected representatives on Friday, the first time he did so this year.
The last time he hosted a fellowship dinner was in December when he asked for representatives’ signatures in support of President Marcos.
By Sunday, Romualdez appeared more confident as he promised funds for the President’s program to build clinics for military veterans and their families, who, he said, deserve the highest quality of government service.
He also lavished praise on Filipino tennis star Alex Eala, who on Sunday became World No. 56 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings—up 18 spots from her previous ranking of No. 74—at the conclusion of the Eastbourne Open and just before the Wimbledon championship on Monday.
