Resolution to open budget process to civil society observers filed

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

House Resolution (HR) 25, which the authors hope to adopt before the start of the 2026 budget cycle, seeks to accredit bona fide people’s organizations and allow them to participate as non-voting observers in all public hearings of the House Committee on Appropriations and its sub-committees. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Leaders of the House of Representatives have filed a resolution seeking to institutionalize the participation of civil society groups in the budget hearings of the appropriations committee to promote transparency and people-centered governance.

House Resolution (HR) 25, which the authors hope to adopt before the start of the 2026 budget cycle, seeks to accredit bona fide people’s organizations and allow them to participate as non-voting observers in all public hearings of the House Committee on Appropriations and its sub-committees.

Under the proposed guidelines, the Committee on Appropriations, in coordination with the Committee on People’s Participation, will determine the eligibility, accreditation process, and scope of civil society groups’ participation, based on House rules.

The resolution cites the 1987 Constitution, particularly Sections 15 and 16 of Article XIII, which recognize the right of the people and their organizations to participate in decision-making and protect their collective interests.

It also references Section 3, Chapter 2, Book VI of the Revised Administrative Code, which frames the budget as an instrument of national development.

The measure, introduced by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, and Jude Acidre, affirms the House’s commitment to inclusive development and meaningful public participation in one of the most consequential legislative functions: crafting the national budget.

“We want a budget process that truly listens to the people. Mahalagang may boses ang taumbayan sa umpisa pa lang ng budget deliberation upang lalong matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng mamamayan (It is important that the people have a say at the very start of the budget deliberations to address the needs of the citizenry),” Romualdez said in a statement Thursday.

“Kaya gusto natin siguraduhin na may kinatawan ang civil society sa mga pagdinig (That’s why we want to ensure that civil society would be represented in all the hearings). This will ensure that the budget process is transparent and accountable to the people.”

The authors emphasized that people’s organizations working in key sectors, such as education, public health, social welfare, environment, agriculture, and local governance, bring critical expertise that can guide more responsive and grounded budgeting.

The push to involve civil society in the budget process aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s earlier calls for better fiscal governance and his administration’s efforts to realign government spending toward key priorities, such as infrastructure, health, and digitalization.

Romualdez has also repeatedly called for a more open bicameral conference committee process when reconciling the final version of the budget with the Senate to further promote transparency.

“It’s about giving citizens a seat at the table, through civil society organizations,” he said.