The House of Representatives committee on appropriations’ budget briefing on the proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) in 2027 was terminated in less than an hour as part of parliamentary courtesy despite objections from some minority lawmakers.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto presented the OP’s proposed budget of P10,156,000,000, which he noted is 64% lower than the budget allocated to the office this year.
‘The substantial reduction reflects the lower operational requirements of our units and completion of our activities related to the hosting of the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] meeting for which no additional funding will be required next year,’ Recto said.
‘In short, we’re asking for less while we’re fully prepared to do more. We believe that this amount is sufficient for the presidency to meet the demands in leading the nation at the time of overlapping domestic and external challenges from geopolitical tensions and disruptions in the Middle East, typhoons, El Niño, and other calamities,’ Recto added.
After Recto’s presentation, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan made a motion to extend parliamentary courtesy to the OP by terminating interpellations, which was seconded by Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez.
Rep. Antonio Tinio, however, objected to the motion, stating that the tradition of parliamentary courtesy should be abolished by Congress in budget briefings to uphold transparency and accountability.
‘Ang gusto ng taumbayan ay transparency. Kailangang patas. Dapat patas ang Kongresong ito sa application ng prinsipyo ng transparency. Lakas makademand ng Kongresong ito ng transparency para sa Office of the Vice President. Dapat ganoon din para sa Office of the President,’ Tinio said.
(The people want transparency. We need to be fair. This Congress needs to be fair in applying the principle of transparency. Congress demands transparency for the Office of the Vice President, so it should be the same for the Office of the President.)
He emphasized the importance of interpellations, noting that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and some Cabinet officials are implicated in the flood control anomalies.
He also pointed out that the OP must explain why almost half of its proposed budget is allocated for confidential and intelligence funds.
‘The people want answers direct from the Office of the President. Yun ang gusto nating marinig at ito ang pagkakataon para direktang marinig ang kanilang mga sagot kung kaya again, tayo po ay tumututol sa motion para mag extend ng parliamentary courtesy,’ Tinio added.
(The people want answers directly from the Office of the President. That’s what we want to hear and this is the opportunity to directly hear their answers. That’s why again, we are objecting to the motion to extend parliamentary courtesy.)
After the matter was put to a vote, 37 members of the committee voted in favor of the extension of parliamentary courtesy while five members from the minority voted in the negative.
Representatives Renee Co, Elijah Fernando, Sarah Elago, Iris Montes, and Tinio each explained their objections, emphasizing that the OP’s budget should be subject to scrutiny.
Rep. Albert Garcia, the committee’s senior vice chairperson, terminated the hearing as he shared that the questions on the OP’s proposed budget and other matters will be answered during or before the plenary session.