SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday said the House of Representatives would implement at least five reforms in the enactment of next year’s annual budget and in its execution.
He made the revelation during the turnover of the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the P6.793-trillion 2026 budget proposal of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
The presentation of the NEP to Speaker Romualdez was witnessed by other House leaders and DBM officials.
The House leader said the reforms are aimed at ensuring full transparency and involving the public through people’s organizations, since the budget is the people’s money.
“A budget is not just a spending plan—it is a mirror of our priorities and a measure of our accountability to the people. And because this is the people’s money, the process of crafting it must be transparent, inclusive, and worthy of public trust,” the House leader told his colleagues and DBM officials.
“That is why, beginning this year, the House will implement important reforms,” he said.
He then proceeded to enumerat the five changes the chamber intends to make.
Speaker Romualdez said the House would remove the “small committee” it formed in the past after approving the budget to collate institutional amendments.
“Bukas ang talakayan. Lahat ng amendments, alam ng mamamayan,” he said.
The second reform would be the opening of the House-Senate conference to reconcile their versions of the budget to the public and the media.
“Kung pera ng taumbayan ang pinag-uusapan, dapat taumbayan din ang nakakaalam,” he said.
“Third, we will invite civil society, people’s organizations, and the private sector to join budget hearings. Ang pambansang budget ay hindi pag-aari ng mga politiko; ito ay pera ng bawat Pilipinong nagbabayad ng buwis,” Speaker Romualdez said.
The fourth would be the strengthening of the House oversight function in the execution of the budget. This would require timely reports from agencies and real-time tracking of major projects.
“Bawat pisong ginastos, dapat may katumbas na serbisyong nararamdaman,” the House leader said.
“And fifth, we will prioritize investments that truly change lives: agriculture for food security, infrastructure for connectivity and jobs, education for opportunity, health for all, and defense and disaster preparedness for national safety,” he said.
He said the planned reforms “are not meant to slow the proces – they are meant to make it better, stronger, and more trusted.”
“Kapag malinaw ang proseso, malinaw din ang tiwala,” Speaker Romualdez emphasized.
“In the coming weeks, we will review every page of this NEP guided by one question: ‘Makakabuti ba ito sa ating mga kababayan?’ If yes, we will support it. If not, we will work to make it better. A budget the people can trust is a government the people can believe in,” he added.
He pointed out that the presentation of the NEP by the Executive branch to Congress “is not just a formality. It is the first step in shaping how our government will serve the Filipino people in the year ahead.”
“Like every family, we know that every peso must have a purpose. We cannot spend what we do not have – and we must spend wisely on what matters most,” he said.
“Bawat piso, may pinaglalaanan; bawat gastusin, dapat may pakinabang sa tao,” he said.
The House leader said the NEP “is more than numbers on paper.”
“It is the government’s plan to make the vision of a Bagong Pilipinas real—roads that connect communities, markets where food is affordable, schools that open doors to opportunity, hospitals that save lives, and safe, secure communities for every Filipino,” Speaker Romualdez stressed.
