MANILA — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Andrew Julian K. Romualdez and Jude A. Acidre have filed House Resolution No. 94, which seeks to institutionalize the participation of civil society groups as official non-voting observers in the budget hearings of the House Committee on Appropriations.

“We want a budget process that truly listens to the people. Mahalagang may boses ang taumbayan sa umpisa pa lang ng budget deliberation upang lalong matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng mamamayan,” Speaker Romualdez said.

“Kaya gusto natin siguraduhin na may kinatawan ang civil society sa mga pagdinig. This will ensure that the budget process is transparent and accountable to the people,” Speaker Romualdez added.

Under the proposed guidelines, the Committee on Appropriations, in coordination with the Committee on People’s Participation, will determine the eligibility, accreditation process and scope of civil society participation in accordance with House rules. The authors hope to adopt the measure before the start of the 2026 budget cycle.

The resolution cites Sections 15 and 16 of Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution, which recognize the right of the people and their organizations to participate in decision-making and protect their collective interests. It also references Section 3, Chapter 2, Book VI of the Revised Administrative Code, which frames the budget as an instrument of national development.

The measure highlights the expertise of people’s organizations in sectors such as education, public health, social welfare, environment, agriculture and local governance, noting that their involvement can guide more responsive and grounded budgeting. It also aligns with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s calls for better fiscal governance and his administration’s push to realign spending toward infrastructure, health and digitalization.

Speaker Romualdez has previously advocated for a more open bicameral conference committee process to promote transparency when reconciling the final budget with the Senate.