Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Representative Leila de Lima expressed support for the creation of a joint congressional committee to oversee government spending, stressing that the House of Representatives’ work does not end with the passage of the national budget.
“It is in the best interest of Congress to make sure that the law – in this case the GAA (General Appropriations Act), a most important piece of legislation – is properly and judiciously implemented,” de Lima said.
She warned against complacency, citing risks of corruption tied to unprogrammed appropriations or “shadow pork,” the growth of “soft pork” prone to patronage politics, and the lack of accountability for major fund misuse.
“Although we were able to do our utmost in scrutinizing the budget for this year, hindi tayo pwedeng magpakampante na corruption-free na itong budget na ito… So, magbabantay at mag-uusisa tayo,” she added.
De Lima also pressed for institutional reforms, urging Congress to pass the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act.
“This bill, filed by Senator Bam Aquino, was already approved in the Senate, and we have filed a House counterpart of this crucial measure to implement genuine budget reform,” she said.
“Through this measure, a digital budget portal will be established to make government spending accessible, searchable, and traceable throughout the entire budget cycle. Sa CADENA Law, mula sa pagbuo ng budget hanggang sa implementasyon, kasama natin ang taumbayan na susuri at kukuwestyon sa mga kahina-hinalang alokasyon at transaksyon,” de Lima added.