Senate, House budget insertions confirmed

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday confirmed before the Independent Congressional Inquiry (ICI) that budget amendments, often referred to as “insertions,” do occur, corroborating an earlier claim made by Representative Toby Tiangco about questionable adjustments in the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.

Speaking to reporters after his closed-door interview, Escudero said the inquiry focused on clarifying Senate procedures and validating points raised by Tiangco in prior statements.

“Many, those amendments mentioned by Cong Toby. I was asked about them,” Escudero said in Filipino. He added that amendments originate in both chambers of Congress, but the majority come from the House of Representatives.

“It’s true that there are amendments coming from lawmakers — some from the Senate, from the senators themselves. But when Congressman Toby talks about amendments, he’s referring specifically to those from the House, which are significantly more numerous and larger compared to Senate amendments,” he said.

Escudero emphasized that he was not labeling the amendments as illegal. Instead, he framed them as a normal part of the legislative process, reflecting the imperfections of the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“Whether you call it an insertion or an amendment, yes, they exist. There are really amendments. It’s not possible for there to be none because the NEP isn’t perfect,” he said.

He explained, “These are amendments, whether you call them insertions, whether someone profited or not. The real question is are these legitimate amendments? The NEP isn’t perfect. Amendments change depending on the year, depending on how strict the President or the DBM is. In the end, those changes are still voted on by the Senate and the House.”

The senator noted that while Tiangco had raised an alarm over “insertions” discreetly added to the national budget, Escudero’s role was primarily to clarify the process and confirm the procedural aspects, not to pass judgment on potential irregularities.

During the session, ICI members reportedly sought to verify procedural details and historical changes in budget deliberations, particularly during Escudero’s tenure as Finance Committee chair under President Benigno Aquino III in 2015.

“Secretary Babes [Singson] is quite familiar with the budget process; he just asked if anything had changed. Almost nothing has changed,” Escudero said.

On whether contractors, controversial projects, or the flood control budget were discussed, Escudero said these topics were outside the scope of his interview. 

He said the ICI did not request further documentation or set a timeline for concluding the inquiry.

“Not really. I think that is the subject matter for the Comelec to decide and rule upon. It was not discussed,” he added.

Asked if he expected to be summoned again, Escudero replied, “Most likely not.”