Members of an inter-agency coordinating committee conduct a walk through on July 15, 2024, as the House of Representatives prepares for the coming State Of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 22. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — A public budget analyst has called for more transparency in the budget legislation process, especially in the Bicameral Conference Committee meeting, amid supposed "defects" in the P6.752-trillion 2025 national budget.

In a webinar on Wednesday, Zy-za Suzara, senior researcher at the Ateneo School of Government, said several portions of the budget process should be more open and accessible to the public. 

2025 budget lawful, valid; all amounts in bicam report ‘determined’ before signing: Quimbo

"Alam natin during budget legislation, particularly during the Bicam deliberations, ang daming milagro na nangyayari," she said.

(We know that in the budget legislation, particularly during the Bicam deliberations, many 'miracles' can happen)

The Bicameral Conference Committee is tasked with reconciling differences in the Senate and House versions of a bill. Bicam meetings on the national budget bill are held behind closed doors.

"Yes, may transparency both at the House and Senate deliberations, at the committee level, and the plenary level. Pero maraming adjustments, madaming deviations, maraming reallocations," she said.

(Yes, there is transparency at the House and Senate delibreations at the committee and plenary levels. But there are many adjustments, deviations and reallocations [after that])

She said technical budget hearings as well as meetings of the executive branch's Development Budget Coordination Committee should also be opened up to citizen participation.

Bicameral Conference Committees should inform the public of the insertions they have made, Suzara said, adding citizens should not have to go through the entire bicam report to find them.

UNPROGRAMMED APPROPRIATIONS 

The analyst expressed concern over the "bloated" unprogrammed appropriations — budget items that do not have specific funding sources.

 "Medyo may worry ako dito sa unprogrammed appropriations. In the 2025 General Appropriations Act, wala yung table na nagpapakita yung total ng automatic appropriations. To be honest, I cannot verify if the automatic appropriations is as proposed," Suzara said.

Suzara questioned why priority programs are being placed in unprogrammed appropriations, which do not have sure funding.

She claimed that "pork barrel" — discretionary funds that the Supreme Court has already declared unconstitutional — has amounted to P675 billion in three years, mostly being listed as flood control projects or assistance programs. 

"Bloated unprogrammed appropriations has been a huge problem. Since 2022 itinataas nang itinataas ng Congress ang level ng unprogrammed appropriations para ma-accommodate yung pork within the unprogrammed appropriations," Suzara said. 

(Since 2022, Congress has been raising the level of unprogrammed appropriations to accomade the pork within the unprogrammed appropriations)

She said has seen a trend of deprioritizing strategic programs and projects to put them in unprogrammed appropriations to "free up fiscal space" for the supposed pork.

She said that given these issues, government should just abandon the practice.

Allocations for unprogrammed appropriations were among the P194 billion worth of line items vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. 

Suzara also criticized the supposed blank items in the bicam report, an allegation raised by administration critics — including former President Rodrigo Duterte — and denied by the Palace.

However, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian disputed the alleged blank items, saying that lawmakers would not have allowed it.

He added blank entries would make it impossible to balance the budget.

Mga blangko sa bicam report ng panukalang 2025 budget, pinuna

"How do you total it? Kaya, parang hindi, imposible magkakaroon ng blank items (For me, it is impossible for blank items to have been there) ," Gatchalian said.

EDUCATION SECTOR

Meanwhile , Freedom from Debt Coalition president Rene Ofreneo highlighted the increasing amount of debt of the Marcos Jr. administration.

"Matagal nang vina-violate ng pamahalaan ang constitutional provision na highest budget priority should be given to Education? Bakit? Sa issue ng debt service… Wala akong natatandaan na taon na hindi lumampas ang education budget sa debt service," he claimed.

(The government has long been violating the constitutional provision that education should be given the highest priority on the budget. Just for debt servicing. I don't remember a year where spending on education was higher than the allocation for debt srvicing) 

Ofreneo said the government should veer away from its "debt-driven system" and renewed calls for the imposition of a solidarity tax. It proposed the imposition of a wealth tax on individuals with net worth more than P300 million.

He echoed Suzara's call for more citizen participation in the budget process.

Petitioners have filed before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the 2025 national budget.

Both the House of Representatives and Senate have maintained the 2025 national budget is lawful and valid amid allegations of blank items in the Bicam report and other issues.

Malacañang has also maintained there were no blanks in the enrolled General Appropriations Bill for 2025. 

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