By Jovee Marie N. de la Cruz, August 18, 2025; BusinessMirror
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/08/18/house-opens-hearings-on-%e2%82%b16-8-t-budget-pf-26/
THE House of Representatives will begin on Monday its hearings on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 with assurances that the public remains the top priority in an inclusive and transparent budget process.
During the opening of the budget deliberations, the House Committee on Appropriations will receive a briefing from the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the country’s economic outlook and the macroeconomic assumptions that guided the preparation of the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
The DBCC briefing will be led by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan Jr., Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez reaffirmed the House’s commitment to an inclusive and transparent budget process, anchored on the reforms instituted in the passage and implementation of the national budget.
“We want not only to inform but to involve the public, because the national budget is the people’s money. It should benefit them all,” Romualdez said.
“If we are talking about the people’s money, then it is the people who should know about it and benefit from it. We will keep nothing from them,” Romualdez said.
Among the key House-initiated reforms highlighted by the lower chamber are the active involvement of civil society, people’s organizations, and the private sector in budget hearings, with copies of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) already shared with grassroots groups.
Romualdez also underscored the prioritization of investments that directly uplift lives, including food security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and disaster preparedness.
In addition, the House has abolished the “small committee” system that previously consolidated amendments after budget approval and has opened House-Senate budget conferences to the public to promote greater transparency. To further strengthen accountability, congressional oversight in budget execution has also been enhanced through real-time reporting and tracking of major projects.
“Every peso spent must translate into a service that the people can truly feel,” Romualdez said.
The 2026 NEP—equivalent to 22 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)—is 7.4 percent higher than this year’s P6.326-trillion budget. It sets bigger allocations for education, healthcare, social protection, and food security, consistent with the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 and the administration’s vision of Bagong Pilipinas.
Revenue collections are projected to hit P4.983 trillion, up 10.2 percent from the P4.520 trillion target in 2025, driven by digitalization of tax systems, recent tax reforms—including VAT on non-resident digital service providers—along with collections from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Customs (BOC), dividends from government-owned corporations, and privatization proceeds.
Government disbursements are programmed at P6.630 trillion in 2026, or 21.5 percent of GDP, with infrastructure spending maintained at 5–6 percent of GDP. The fiscal deficit is expected to narrow to 5.3 percent of GDP next year, from 5.5 percent in 2025, and further down to 4.3 percent by 2028.
The top recipients of the proposed budget are
• Education – P928.5 billion
• Public Works – P881.3 billion
• Health – P320.5 billion
• Defense – P299.3 billion
• Interior and Local Government – P287.5 billion
• Agriculture – P239.2 billion
• Social Welfare – P227.0 billion
• Transportation – P197.3 billion
• Judiciary – P67.9 billion
• Labor and Employment – P55.2 billion
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, the President said he would not sign any General Appropriations Act (GAA) that is not aligned with the administration’s priority programs and tolerates fund misuse.
95 percent complete
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is also set to begin deliberating on all bills filed in the 20th Congress, following the 95 percent completion of its organizational setup in the lower chamber.
House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos said the swift reorganization underscores the chamber’s readiness to act decisively on the President’s ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ legislative priorities.
“As of August 6, upon the guidance of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, we are proud to report that in record time, we have filled 76 out of 80 committee chairmanships—95 percent of the total. This shows how serious we are in getting to work right away,” Marcos said.
He pointed out that previous Congresses typically took a month or more to organize, making this a significant milestone for the 20th Congress.
“The sooner we organize, the sooner we legislate. Every day we save means more time to craft solutions, respond to challenges, and deliver results for our people,” Marcos added.
Earlier, the chamber unanimously reelected Speaker Romualdez to a second term, along with Quezon 2nd District Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez as Senior Deputy Speaker, several Deputy Speakers, and Marcos as Majority Leader and chair of the Committee on Rules.
The House also retained Secretary General Reginald “Reggie” S. Velasco and Sergeant-at-Arms retired Police Maj. Gen. Napoleon “Nap” Taas, ensuring operational continuity.
Key leadership posts were swiftly assigned, including chairmanships of the committees on Appropriations, Justice, Ways and Means, Agriculture, Higher and Technical Education, Foreign Affairs, Public Works, Basic Education, Energy, Transportation, Labor, and National Defense.
The Quad Comm—composed of Human Rights, Public Order and Safety, Dangerous Drugs, and Public Accounts—was likewise constituted to strengthen oversight and investigations.
In addition, the House finalized the election of 12 members to the Commission on Appointments (CA) and six members to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).
With its organization complete, Marcos said the chamber is now preparing for marathon budget deliberations and the passage of priority measures aligned with national goals of inclusive growth, stronger institutions, and improved services for all Filipinos.