MANILA, Philippines – Bilang pagtupad sa pangakong transparency, ilang civil sociery groups ang binigyan ng kopya ng 2026 proposed budget o ang National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Kinumpirma ng tanggapan ni House Speaker Martin Romualdez na ang ₱6.793-trillion NEP na natanggap ng Kamara mula sa Malacanang ay kanila ding binigyan kopya ang ilang grupo kabilang ang 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 at Novalerto Youth.
“This is not just about documents—it’s about trust. 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,” pahayag ni Romualdez.
“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. 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,” dagdag pa nito.
Ang NEP ay tinanggap ng Kamara sa isang ceremonial turnover na pinangunahan ni Romualdez na isinagawa sa Batasang Pambansa complex, kabilang sa sumaksi sa nasabing event ay sina Deputy Speakers Janette Garin, Yasser Alonto Balindong at Yevgeny Emano, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos at House Committee on Appropriations chairperson at Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing.
Sa ilalim ni House Bill No 94 na inakda ni Romualdez, ilang bona fide organizations ang magpapartisipa sa gagawing deliberation ng Committee on Appropriations sa national budget.
Una nang sinabi ni Suansing na matutunghayan ng publiko ang gagawing eporma sa budget deliberation process. Ilan sa ipatutupad ni Suansing ay ang pagbuwag na sa “small committee,” at pagbukas ng bicameral conference committee meetings sa publiko gayundinang pag-acredit sa civil society organizations para obserbahan ang gagawing proseso hanggang sa pag-apruba sa budget.
Ang transparency sa pag-apruba ng budget ay malaking clamor matapos na rin magkaroon ng isyu ang 2025 budget kabilang na dito ang alegasyon ng blank items na ipinasok sa bicameral conference report.
Sa ilalim ng 2026 NEP, ang pinakamalaking budget ay ilalaan sa education, na nasa ₱928.5 billion, sinundan ng public works,t ₱881.3 billion, at health na nasa ₱320.5 billion.
Samantala, ito pa ang panukalang budget para sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno: 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).
Sa sektor ng social services na nakakuha ng pinaka malaking alokasyon na ₱2.314 trillion, sinundan ng: Economic services (₱1.868 trillion), General public services (₱1.202 trillion), Debt burden (₱978.7 billion), at Defense (₱430.9 billion). /Gail Mendoza
