SPEAKER Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Friday assured the public that the 2026 national budget is being crafted with full transparency and accountability, as the House of Representatives has put in place new systems to open the budget process to public scrutiny and strengthen oversight during implementation.
Dy said one of his first reforms as Speaker of the 20th Congress was the creation of the Budget Amendments and Revisions Sub-Committee (BARSc) —the body tasked to review and realign appropriations—and the decision to livestream all its proceedings so that every Filipino can see how lawmakers deliberate and realign funds.
“Isa na po rito ang ginagawa po natin, meron po tayong livestream habang ginagawa po itong BARSc… at doon ho makikita at maririnig ng ating mga kababayan kung papaano isinasaayos ang budget,” Dy explained in a radio interview.
He said the reform ensures that adjustments in the national budget are aligned with the Marcos administration’s priority programs, including the reallocation of recovered funds from flood-control projects to initiatives that directly benefit communities.
The Speaker added that the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is also being deliberated in open, livestreamed plenary sessions, allowing citizens and civil society organizations to follow the process.
“Para po ang ating mga kababayan at mga civil society din makita ang ating proseso sa kung papaano maging maayos at transparent at accountable po ang budget for 2026,” he said.
Beyond transparency during deliberations, Dy said the House is working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop a system for monitoring how agencies implement the budget once enacted.
“Marami po kaming pinaplanong mga hakbang katulad po ng … nakikipag-ugnayan tayo sa DICT na kung saan baka merong mga sistema na namo-monitor. Kasi po iba rin po ‘yung naipasa nga natin ‘yung budget, papaano naman po ‘yung implementation?”
He said the system will help prevent substandard projects and ghost spending by allowing real-time tracking of projects nationwide.
“Baka mamaya substandard, baka mamaya may mga ghost project,” Dy said.
“Kaya po sa DICT, siyempre po, pati ang civil society, ang ating mga kababayan magtutulong-tulong para lagi pong nababantayan ‘yung mga projects,” he added.
The House chief emphasized that transparency must extend beyond the budget’s passage and be reflected in how programs are implemented on the ground.
“Kahit gawin nating maayos, transparent at accountable po ‘yung ating budget for next year, syempre iba rin po ‘yung implementation. Dapat makita natin na talagang standard, maayos ang trabaho para maiwasan ‘yung corruption,” he said.
The House is expected to take up the 2026 national budget on second reading Friday afternoon in a session to be livestreamed for the public. The livestreamed deliberations, Dy said, are intended to allow citizens and civil society groups to observe how lawmakers scrutinize and refine the government’s spending plan.
