NAVOTAS City Rep. Toby Tiangco has voted against the proposed 2027 national budget, citing the lack of committee deliberations on the House of Representatives’ budget, an unexplained P5-billion increase in its allocation, and the rejection of amendments seeking greater transparency in public spending.
In a huddle with Good Riddance, Tiangco said the lower chamber failed to follow the constitutional requirement that its appropriations be approved using the same procedure applied to other government departments and agencies.
He said the House budget wasn’t subjected to committee deliberations and was instead brought directly to the plenary.
The veteran legislator also questioned the sudden change in the budget hearing schedule, saying lawmakers were notified through an email sent at 2:05 a.m. that the House budget would be taken up at 10 a.m. that same day.
He added that his request to reopen the deliberations was denied, even though a similar request was granted for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
“If we demand transparency and accountability from other government agencies, we should be prepared to apply the same standards to ourselves,” said Tiangco, a former long-time Navotas mayor.
He likewise questioned the reported P5-billion, or 28.37 percent, increase in the House budget, saying there’s no clear explanation of how the additional funds would be used.
During the period for individual amendments, Tiangco said he proposed requiring the publication of the House’s budget utilization, including the amounts allocated, paid or spent for each member of the chamber.
He also sought mandatory disclosure of Department of Public Works and Highways projects in every congressional district, including projects requested or proposed by district representatives and party-list lawmakers.
Both amendments were rejected, he lamented as he explained that the proposals were intended to allow the public to scrutinize how taxpayers’ money was being spent.
“What is the House of Representatives afraid to make public?” he asked, questioning why the chamber would resist disclosure if it had nothing to hide.
“We cannot demand accountability from the executive branch if we refuse to apply the same standards to ourselves,” he added.
