MANILA — House Deputy Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong rejected allegations that massive budget “insertions” were made by House leaders in the proposed 2026 national budget, saying all funding adjustments went through a public, legal, and collective process.

Responding to reports claiming that the largest insertions in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget were allegedly made by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and House Appropriations Committee Chair Mikaela Angela Suansing, Adiong said the characterization was misleading.

“I have to clear that nomenclature. The insertions happen in the bicam naman talaga,” he said in an ambush interview.

Adiong explained that what critics describe as “insertions” were the result of the House’s formal budget process under its version of the General Appropriations Bill (HGAB), which was deliberated, amended, and approved openly at the committee level and in plenary.

“As far as the HGAB is concerned, we’ve done the process out in the open, like everything that we did during the committee deliberation. It was televised, it was livestreamed, and all the adjustments in terms of funding allocation per line item of every agency of the government under the NEP (National Expenditure Program) were done publicly,” he said.

He stressed that the House version of the budget was not the product of individual discretion. “The HGAB was actually the result of the collective wisdom and the eventual approval of the House,” he added.

All amendments to the NEP reflected in the House version passed through the Committee on Appropriations and were approved by the plenary. “As to the amount of each line item presented under the NEP, these were modified and amended by virtue of the proposals of the Committee on Appropriations, which were eventually approved by the House of Representatives. Ito po ang naging HGAB,” Adiong said.

He said the process followed constitutional and procedural requirements and was visible to the public. “The nomenclature that was used as insertion, kailangan po natin ‘yung i-correct. Kasi kung ano po ‘yung nag-reflect doon sa HGAB ay pinagbotohan at nag-undergo po sa ligal na proseso at nakita naman po ng taumbayan kung paano ito pinag-usapan.”

Adiong also expressed confidence that the bicameral conference committee will complete its work on the proposed 2026 budget in time for ratification next week, avoiding the “worst-case scenario” of a reenacted budget.

“I think the [bicam] is really eager to finish this up before next week, because next week would be the ratification,” he said. “I get the sense that the [bicam] is now attuned, both the House contingent and the Senate. Both of them are tuned to finishing this up. So we are expecting that the bicameral report will be out next week for the ratification of both houses.”

Adiong noted that Malacañang has also opposed a reenacted budget, a position shared by lawmakers. “That would probably, if you ask me personally, be the worst case that would happen — a reenacted budget.”

He warned that a reenacted budget could derail major increases in education funding adopted during bicameral deliberations. “So if there’s a reenacted budget, mawawala po ‘yung almost a trillion or more than a trillion kung hindi ako nagkakamali na pondo po sa ating mga estudyante, sa ating edukasyon kung magkakaroon po tayo ng reenacted budget,” he said.

Adiong added that even short delays would create funding distortions, as some programs funded in 2025 have already been completed. He said remaining DPWH funding issues are being addressed openly under the livestreamed bicameral process.

“Ang sabi naman nila they’re now sorting this out doon sa issue nung sa DPWH request for the restoration of a certain amount to the DPWH budget,” he said.

He emphasized that allegations about previous budgets should be substantiated with evidence but stressed that the priority is ensuring the 2026 budget is passed before yearend. “We are confident that the both House contingent and the Senate contingent would finally reset, settle and reconcile all these disagreeing provisions,” Adiong said.

“Nagbigay naman sila ng assurance na they will really push for the approval of the, you know, the budget for 2026 so that the President can sign it before the end of this year,” he added.