CIVIL society organizations (CSOs) accredited by the House Committee on Appropriations to be observers in the budget hearings for the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026 wants
a portion of flood control appropriations to be sliced and realigned to education, health and agriculture.
Lloyd Zaragoza, convenor of Democracy Watch Philippines, made the call during the first CSOs budget review engagement hosted by the appropriations panel led by Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing.
“We recognize resources are limited. But a choice must be made: do we continue pouring billions into controversial allocations like unplanned and poorly implemented flood control projects, or do we invest in the very foundations of a strong nation — food, health, and education?” Zaragoza asked.
“Let us champion a people-first realignment in the 2026 budget. Let us fund what truly matters, and leave a legacy of investing not just in projects, but in people,” he said.
The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CENPEG) also urged the House to “rebalance allocations toward education, health, social protection, housing, and climate resilience.”
CENPEG said that on top of the audit conducted by the Commission on Audit (COA), there should also be a “people’s audit” in both national and local levels, with its findings to be released to the public.
Pursuant to the reforms that the House leadership has adopted to make the budget process more transparent and inclusive, the House formed a task force on people’s participation when it crafted the interim guidelines on allowing CSOs to participate in the review of Malacañang’s National Expenditure Plan (NEP).
Under Memorandum Circular No. 20-002 signed by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, the House Task Force on People’s Participation (TFPP) in Budget Deliberations, which will serve as the primary liaison between the House Secretariat and CSOs, was created.
The memo gave flesh to House Resolution (HR) No. 94, which allows CSOs to participate in the budget process as “third-party observers.”
A total of 21 groups participated in yesterday’s first CSOs budget review engagement. The groups were represented by 31 delegates who shared their insights and recommendations and called for greater transparency and accountability in the use of the annual national budget.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has said it is open to realigning a significant part of the P272 billion proposed flood control budget for 2026 to education for the construction of classrooms after Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste pointed out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement that it is a source of graft and corruption in the government.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has during the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s (DBCC) briefing on the proposed national budget for 2026 last August 19 that she has no opposition to the proposal of Leviste, a vice chair of the appropriations panel.
Leviste, a son of Sen. Loren Legarda, told the briefing then that he wants a huge part of the 2026 flood control budget to address the shortage of 165,000 classrooms estimated by the Department of Education (DepEd), which has only been allocated P13 billion to build new classrooms next year.
