House members clash after House panel terminated Marcos office's budget hearing

Members of the House of Representatives were embroiled in a chaotic clash on Monday after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s allies terminated his office's budget deliberation without entertaining questions from the minority bloc.

The altercation started when Abra Rep. Ching Bernos, vice chairperson of the panel, moved to terminate the Office of the President's (OP) budget deliberation—with no questions asked—as part of their so-called longstanding tradition of extending the President's office the parliamentary courtesy.

The OP is asking for a P10.5 billion allocation for fiscal year 2025, which is 1.88 percent lower than this year's allocation.

The MOOE, or maintenance and other operating expenses, accounted for the biggest chunk of the budget at P9.75 billion or 75.72 percent, followed by personal services at P1.33 billion and capital outlay at P1.21 billion. 

The three-member Makabayan bloc expressed strong objection to Bernos' motion, asserting that, like other agencies, the OP's proposed funding must undergo perusal, especially on how it utilized its previous budget. 

Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel argued that the OP could not just do away with the scrutiny when the President himself ordered that all government agencies must undergo the same budget process.

"Then, Mr. Chair, if we will terminate the deliberations, we are affirming that the Vice President is a brat; and in fact, Mr. Chair, we make it appear that the President himself is lying by evading the process of Congress to undergo scrutiny," Manuel said in Filipino.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, the panel's vice chairperson, and the presiding officer, cut Manuel off and ordered him to "take back" his statement. 

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin echoed Tiangco, petitioning that the word "lying" be omitted from the transcript record because it's "unparliamentary."

"We have to delete that portion… Everything that is tackled in this committee and everything in the House is voted upon by the majority. So, whatever the majority rules on does not mean that there is 'pagsisinungaling.' It is just the will of the majority by which a democracy performs," stated Tiangco, the OP's budget sponsor.

"We are a co-equal branch of government, and the President cannot dictate on this committee or in each congressman their] wills. Whatever happened here today is the will of the majority," he added.

Manuel countered, "Again, we want all agencies to undergo the fair process, so supposedly, if the budget is eventually approved, then the questions should be answered, Mr. Chair." 

Aside from the budget utilization, the progressive lawmakers contended that Marcos' office is obliged to shed light on his administration's pressing issues, including its foreign policy in the West Philippine Sea, its alliance with the United States, the "disturbing" increase of unprogrammed appropriations in 2023, and the "ballooning" request for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).

Citing the OP's budget, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro disclosed that nearly half, or P4.56 billion, of the OP's current budget proposal will go to CIF, which she claimed is not part of its mandate.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, meanwhile, argued that the appropriations committee terminating the OP's budget hearing without giving its members a chance to inquire is a "double standard."

"We scrutinized the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President, and now we are paying courtesy to the Office of the President. This is a double standard — the Filipino people are deprived of knowing how the President, the highest official in the Philippines, spends his funds. This is worrying because the public has many questions," Brosas said in Filipino.

"I've said it before, and I will say this again, this is about transparency and accountability. The Office of the President or every other agency is not exempted," Brosas concluded. 

To recall, Duterte and House members engaged in a heated duel after the VP repeatedly refused, if not providing generic responses, on how she spent her contentious P125 million confidential funds in 2022, of which P73.287 was disallowed by the Commission on Audit. 

The OVP's P125 million confidential funds, which were spent in merely 11  days in December 2022, were part of the P221.42 million contingent fund of the OP transferred to Duterte's office allegedly without congressional authorization.

Opposition lawmakers earlier claimed that the relocation of funds was unconstitutional since there was no line item for such in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

Duterte is set to face the House members tomorrow for the continuation of her office's budget proposal hearing after it was deferred during its previous deliberation on 27 August.

Meanwhile, later in the hearing, the Makabayan bloc was given a two-minute manifestation before the panel terminated the OP's budget deliberation, which only lasted for 30 minutes.

Tiangco assured that their queries to the OP will be addressed in the plenary deliberation, which will commence on 16 September.