Tiangco backs call for documents supporting 2027 budget projects
The House of Representatives has the responsibility to justify the funding requirements of projects included in the proposed 2027 national budget, a lawmaker said, as concerns over transparency in the budget process resurfaced.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco expressed support for the continued scrutiny by Senate Committee on Finance chair Sen. JV Ejercito of the 2027 House General Appropriations Bill (HGAB), echoing the need to back billions of pesos worth of projects with proper documentation.
The statement came days after Ejercito said the Senate could remove as many as 6,271 projects included in the HGAB if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) failed to submit the required documents.
The projects were not included in the 11,420 projects proposed under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027.
Tiangco welcomed the move, stressing that every project funded by public money must be clearly identified and justified.
“Every peso placed in the national budget has to have a clear reason, complete documents, and an accountable officer. Projects can not simply be inserted without sufficient explanations,” he said.
The lawmaker was among the members of the House who voted against the approval of the HGAB amid renewed concerns over transparency, particularly regarding the chamber’s own budget proposal.
Tiangco maintained that no project should receive funding from the national budget if lawmakers could not explain its priority and purpose.
He also reiterated that transparency and accountability in the use of public funds were essential to preventing corruption in the budget process.
“Transparency is how we prevent corruption. Accountability is how we make sure it doesn’t happen again. If we are serious about cleaning up the national budget, every project must be explained and every peso spent must be justified,” Tiangco said.
Ejercito, meanwhile, set 3 November as the deadline for the DPWH, under newly appointed Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez, to submit the requirements for the 6,271 projects added to the HGAB.
The senator acknowledged the need to boost infrastructure spending to support the economy but said safeguards were also necessary to prevent anomalies in the budget.
“We must continue to ensure that public funds are allocated to projects that are properly justified, implementation-ready, and responsive to the needs of our constituents,” Ejercito wrote in his letter to Lopez.