The House Committee on Appropriations opened its second “People’s Budget Review” on Tuesday, inviting 13 civil society organizations to present their spending priorities and policy recommendations for the proposed 2027 national budget.
Held at Villar Hall, the session brought together representatives from Bitag Media Unlimited Inc., Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), Center of Youth Advocacy and Networking (CYAN), GoodGovPH, IBON Foundation, Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, Makati Business Club, Move As One Coalition, People’s Budget Coalition, Philippine Association of Agriculturists Inc., REID Foundation, SafeTravelPH Mobility Innovations Organization and Task Force Mapalad National Peasant Federation.
Senior Vice Chairperson Representative Albert Garcia, co-leading the review with Committee Chair Representative Mikaela Angela Suansing, emphasized that public involvement is central to democratic governance, stating that the national budget ultimately belongs to the people.
Participating lawmakers pledged to raise the groups’ recommendations during upcoming agency budget hearings and highlighted reforms like the proposed Philippine Budgeting Code, which aims to permanently institutionalize bottom-up consultations and open budget data in future legislative cycles.