House fulfills budget reform pledge; sends 2026 NEP copy to CSOs

MANILA, Philippines — One of the budget reforms pushed by the House of Representatives leadership has been realized as several civil society groups have received a copy of the 2026 proposed budget, or the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

In a statement on Thursday, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez confirmed that the ₱6.793-trillion NEP for 2026 was handed over to representatives of the following civil society organizations (CSOs):

• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids


• Social Watch


• CODE-NGO


• Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance


• Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development


• Child Rights Network


• Parents Against Vape


• Multiply-Ed Philippines


• FOI Youth Initiative


• Safe Travel PH


• REID Foundation


• People’s Budget Coalition/Citizens’ Budget Tracker


• Novalerto Youth

“This is not just about documents — it’s about trust,” Romualdez said. “The budget is the lifeblood of government. It tells our people where we are putting their hopes and their hard-earned taxes. If we want our people to trust us, they must see and feel that the budget is truly theirs.”

“In the coming weeks, we will review every page of this NEP guided by one question: Will it improve the lives of our people? If yes, we will support it. If not, we will work to make it better," he said mostly in Filipino.

"Every peso should have a specific allocation, and every expenditure should benefit the people. Because a budget the people can trust is a government the people can believe in.”

The ceremonial turnover was held at the social hall of the Batasang Pambansa complex, shortly after the Department of Budget and Management formally handed the NEP to the House.

The event was attended by several House leaders, including Romualdez, Deputy Speakers Janette Garin, Yasser Alonto Balindong, and Yevgeny Emano, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and House Committee on Appropriations chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing.

The turnover was made possible by the chamber’s adoption of House Resolution (HR) No. 94, authored by Romualdez along with Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, and Jude Acidre.

Under HR No. 94, bona fide people’s organizations will be “formally accredited and invited to actively participate as official non-voting observers in the public deliberations of the Committee on Appropriations and its subcommittees in the crafting of the national budget.”

The Committee on Appropriations, which is in charge of drafting the budget, is tasked to consult with the Committee on People’s Participation to “formulate appropriate guidelines to determine eligibility, accreditation procedures, and the scope of participation of such organizations.”

The resolution aligns with Suansing’s push for reforms to the budget deliberation process. In a press briefing on Aug. 4, Suansing said she would propose the abolition of the so-called “small committee,” the opening of bicameral conference committee meetings for public viewing, and the accreditation of civil society organizations to observe the process and air grievances.

READ: People’s budget: Suansing seeks to open budget bill to public queries

According to a briefer from the DBM, the largest share of the proposed budget will go to education, at ₱928.5 billion, followed by public works at ₱881.3 billion, and health at ₱320.5 billion.

After the top three, the biggest allocations go to:

• Defense (₱299.3 billion)


• Interior and Local Government (₱287.5 billion)


• Agriculture (₱239.2 billion)


• Social Welfare (₱277.0 billion)


• Transportation (₱198.6 billion)


• Judiciary (₱67.9 billion)


• Labor and Employment (₱55.2 billion)


• By sector, social services get the largest allocation at ₱2.314 trillion, followed by:


• Economic services (₱1.868 trillion)


• General public services (₱1.202 trillion)


• Debt burden (₱978.7 billion)


• Defense (₱430.9 billion)

The House initiated reforms to the budget process after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), warned Congress that he would not sign any proposed national budget that deviates significantly from the NEP — even if it results in a reenacted budget.

The budget process has been under scrutiny following concerns about the 2025 General Appropriations Act — from alleged blank items in the bicameral conference report to claims of last-minute insertions that funded flood control projects.

Marcos also criticized government officials and contractors allegedly earning kickbacks from flood control projects.

READ: SONA 2025: Marcos on corrupt people in flood control deals: ‘Shame on you’

The President’s stern warning came amid concerns from Senator Panfilo Lacson that half of the country’s nearly ₱2-trillion allocation for flood control projects since 2011 may have been lost to corruption. /jpv/abc

(2025/08/14-10:01)

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