Members of the Liberal Party (LP) bloc in the House of Representatives on Thursday urged Congress to open the Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations on the national budget to full public scrutiny, saying transparency is vital to restoring trust in government and ensuring meaningful reforms.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers stressed that public access to bicam discussions “should have been done long ago.”
“It is not optional. It is non-negotiable,” they said, emphasizing that taxpayers have the right to know how public funds are allocated.
“Kaban ng bayan ang pinag-uusapan… Sa tama, angkop at makabuluhang mga programa, proyekto at serbisyo ba ito napupunta? O sa mga bulsa ng mga tiwaling opisyal…?”
They warned that both national welfare and the future of the youth depend on an honest budget process.
“Tiwala ng tao sa gobyerno ang mismong nakataya,” the statement added.
The bloc proposed key transparency measures: livestreaming all bicam sessions, releasing meeting minutes, publishing a matrix of disagreeing provisions and their final resolutions, and identifying which lawmakers introduced each amendment.
Denying public access, they said, is “a gross injustice” that undermines the people’s constitutional right to information. “They are entitled to know where every centavo of their taxes goes.”
The LP bloc is composed of Representatives Leila De Lima, Egay Erice, Adrian Michael Amatong, Arlene Bag-ao, Jaime Fresnedi, Cielo Krisel Lagman, and Alfonso Umali Jr.