EVEN before the 20th Congress opens its session on July 28, reelected Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has moved to overhaul the national budgeting system to ensure public funds deliver concrete results instead of being trapped in delays and inefficiency.
Rep. Romualdez, the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress, filed House Bill (HB) No. 11, known as the Budget Modernization Act, which proposes a shift to a cash-based budgeting system.
The bill aims to accelerate the delivery of government services, eliminate wasteful spending and make all government transactions easier to monitor and assess.
“Bawat sentimo sa national budget ay pera ng taongbayan. Kailangan magamit ito nang mabilis, tapat at may malinaw na resulta para sa mga Pilipino, lalo na sa mga nangangailangan,” Speaker Romualdez, who earlier backed the proposal to make public the bicameral deliberations of the national budget, said.
The bill is co-authored by Tingog Party-list Reps. Andrew Julian K. Romualdez and Jude A. Acidre.
According to the measure, a Cash Budgeting System “refers to the annual appropriations that limit incurring obligations and disbursing payments to goods delivered and services rendered, inspected and accepted within the current fiscal year.”
The measure targets long-standing problems in public finance where funds are obligated but not spent, resulting in delayed infrastructure, stalled programs and unutilized aid.
It mandates agencies to implement projects within the same fiscal year, with only a three-month extension for payments.
This will compel agencies to plan better, deliver faster and report clearer outcomes.
“Kapag may pondong inilaan para sa eskwelahan, dapat may maitayong silid-aralan. Kung may budget para sa kalsada, dapat may daang natatapos. Hindi puwedeng puro plano, walang resulta,” Speaker Romualdez added.
HB No. 11 also addresses the issue of so-called “parked” funds and off-budget items by requiring greater transparency and stricter definitions for appropriations.
The bill restricts the use of lump-sum or special purpose funds without clear deliverables and timelines.
To ensure real-time oversight, the measure requires agencies to use a digital public financial management system that can track every peso spent.
Rep. Romualdez said this will improve transparency, curb corruption and restore confidence in how government handles taxpayer money.
“’Pag malinaw ang sistema, madaling masilip ng taumbayan kung saan talaga napupunta ang pondo. Iyan ang tunay na malasakit,” he said.
Another key provision is the introduction of performance-based budgeting. Agencies will no longer be evaluated solely by how much they’ve spent, but by the outcomes they’ve achieved.
This will allow the public to directly see how their taxes translated into actual improvements in their communities.
“Hindi na sapat ang sabihing nagastos ang pondo. Dapat makita ng taumbayan kung ano ang naitulong nito sa kanilang buhay,” Rep. Romualdez emphasized.
Rep. Romualdez said the early filing of this bill is a signal of his intent to keep working even as leadership matters remain pending ahead of the 20th Congress.
“Hindi na kailangang maghintay ng SONA o botohan ng Speaker. Kung may pwedeng simulan na ngayon na makakabuti sa bayan, gagawin natin. Tuloy ang trabaho para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.
HB No. 11 is part of a broader reform package Rep. Romualdez is pursuing to improve fiscal discipline, upgrade service delivery and institutionalize accountability in national budgeting.
It aligns with the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas campaign to deliver measurable and inclusive progress for ordinary Filipinos.
