As the House of Representatives began evaluating the proposed ₱7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027, House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing pledged to maintain structural transparency measures throughout the legislative process.
The committee-level hearings kicked off on Monday, August 17, with an official briefing from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s economic team, the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
This marks the second consecutive year the chamber is implementing an open budget process, expanding on reforms introduced midway through discussions in the previous year.
”Sinalamin po ng mga mahahalagang repormang ito ang paninindigan ng inyong Kongreso na tanggalin ang tabing sa usaping budget at talagang ipakita kung saan napupunta ang bawat piso ng buwis na mula sa dugo at pawis ng bawat Pilipino,” Suansing said during her opening remarks at the DBCC hearing.
”Ang ating mga magagandang nasimulan noong nakaraang taon, ipagpapatuloy at pagbubutihin pa po natin sa pagbuo ng budget para sa taong 2027,” she added.
These openness initiatives were initially instituted during the formulation of the 2026 budget in 2025, sparked by public outrage over alleged flood control project corruption.
”Alinsunod sa panawagan ng ating mga kababayan na mas maging bukas ang proseso ng pagbuo ng budget, matagumpay pong sinimulan ng inyong Kongreso noong nakaraang taon ang mga mahahalagang reporma,” Suansing noted.
Reflecting on the initial wave of changes, the senior lawmaker highlighted key structural adjustments that prioritized public oversight.
”We enacted a series of structural reforms that placed transparency, accountability and public participation at the center of our budget process. We abolished the ‘small committee’ and established the first-ever Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc),” Suansing recalled.
The newly formed BARSc logged more than 20 hours of publicly broadcast deliberations, presenting every approved line-item amendment. All committee hearings and plenary sessions were likewise streamed live.
”We enhanced engagement with civil society organizations and conducted the first-ever People’s Budget Review. For the first time in recent history, the period of amendments was opened to all House members and all amendments were incorporated before the HGAB’s second Reading approval,” she stated.
”And finally, for the first time in history, the Bicameral Conference Committee proceedings were opened to the public. The bicam’s six days of deliberations were live-streamed and amendments were shown line by line,” Suansing highlighted.
The executive branch’s NEP forms the foundation for the House General Appropriations Bill (HGAB). Upon congressional approval and presidential signature, it is enacted as the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
At ₱7.2 trillion, the proposed 2027 budget represents the largest spending program in Philippine history.
Closing her address, Suansing reaffirmed the chamber’s dedication to inclusive governance.
”The House of Representatives reaffirms our commitment that we espoused last year: In this budget and in the years to come, we are bringing the Filipino people back in the center of the budget process where you rightfully belong,” Suansing concluded.