DEPUTY Speaker Ronaldo Puno, in a press conference on Tuesday, said lawmakers want clear answers on who was behind the changes in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that shifted funds from Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to public works.
“Gusto namin malaman sinong nagpalit nun, papaanong nangyari ‘yon. Sino talaga ang nagtanggal, paanong natanggal ‘yong PhilHealth budget kasi alam ko hindi dito sa House of Representatives ‘yon. Dahil noong pinadala namin sa kanila buo pa ‘yon,” Puno said.
He noted that the House version of the budget kept allocations for the PhilHealth and DepEd intact, and even reduced the public works budget before transmitting it to the Senate.
“Ang House gumawa ng panukalang budget, nag-approve ang House of Representatives ng budget, ngayon sa budget na ‘yon kung titingan niyo, hindi nawala ‘yong PhilHealth budget, intact sa version ng House. Hindi nabawasan ‘yong Department of Education budget, intact, in fact mataas. Ang nabawasan dito sa House ‘yong public works budget. Tignan niyo iyan. Iyan ang pinadala sa Senado,” he said.
Puno said the National Unity Party (NUP) has agreed not to start work on the 2026 budget until the matter is resolved, and emphasized that it is still too early to determine who was responsible for the changes.
“Kami sa partido namin nagkasundo kami na hindi namin uumpisahan ang pagsuri ng 2026 budget hangga’t hindi kami naliliwanagan sa lahat ng misteryong nangyari sa 2025 budget,” he stated.
“Mahirap i-pre-judge so bagama’t alam natin na hindi galing sa Kongreso ‘yan, hindi ko masasabing Senado ang gumawa niyan. Kasi malaki rin ang Senado, marami namang senador. So titignan natin,” he added.
He also told reporters that the House would focus on agencies that administer the budget during deliberations.
“Ang ating budget hearings dito ay nakatutok sa ating mga ahensya. Ano man kasi ang desisyunan namin sa Kamara or sa Senado, ang mga budget na ‘yan ay ina-administer ng ating mga ahensya. Ang haharap sa amin dito sa Kamara ay ‘yong mga DBM, DPWH, sila ‘yong tatanungin namin. Kasi siyempre alam din nila ‘yan,” Puno said.
Puno also mentioned that the House could also launch its own investigation if any lawmaker was implicated, adding that the chamber’s leadership would follow its internal rules and discipline, and would not hesitate to endorse cases to the Ombudsman.
“Halimbawa nag-imbestigasyon kami dito, pwede naman kaming mag-recommend sa Ombudsman na mag-file ng kaso. Bakit just because kasama namin dito hindi kami magre-rekomenda mag-file ng kaso? Kung may kasalanan ‘yan talagang magpa-file kami ng kaso niyan,” he said.
Moreover, the House leader also stressed that accountability is not only ensured by existing laws but also by an active and watchful citizenry.
“Accountability is best served by people who demand it. Kasi kahit na may posibilidad na magkaso ka sa taong gagawa ng hindi tama, e kung hindi ka magkaso hindi accountable ‘yon. Kahit andiyan ang proseso na will allow you or will enable you to demand and expect accountability, kung hindi mo naman itulak ‘yong proseso walang mangyayari,” Puno said.
“Nasa sa ating mamamayan din ‘yan na dapat gising sila, makikita nila ‘yong nangyayari sa kanilang mga paligid at lalong lalo na sa kanilang pamahalaan. Kasi accountability has many levers that you can pull and sa tingin ko kung gising ang tao, accountability is going to be really safeguarded,” he added.
