Proactive oversight of public funds must take precedence over post-disbursement audits as scrutiny intensifies over thousands of unvetted infrastructure insertions introduced to the proposed 2027 national budget.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco voiced support for Senator JV Ejercito’s demand for complete documentation and justification regarding 6,271 infrastructure projects added by the House of Representatives to the spending bill.
Tiangco asserted that rigorous validation must occur during the initial budget preparation phase to prevent misuse before public funds leave the treasury.
“Buong suporta ako kay Senator JV Ejercito. Bawat pisong inilalagay sa national budget dapat may malinaw na dahilan, kumpletong dokumento, at may mananagot. Hindi pwedeng basta magpasok ng proyekto nang walang sapat na paliwanag,” Tiangco said.
The Navotas lawmaker, who previously voted against the House-approved version of the 2027 national budget citing transparency and procedural concerns, maintained that Congress holds a duty to justify every line-item allocation.
“Kung hindi natin kayang ipaliwanag kung bakit kailangan ang isang proyekto, bakit ito ang prayoridad, at paano ito ipapatupad, bakit natin ito popondohan?” he asked.
Setting a precedent for fiscal openness, Tiangco publicly disclosed the complete list of proposed infrastructure projects and corresponding funding allocations designated for Navotas, urging fellow legislators to adopt identical disclosure measures across all congressional districts.
“Kung kaya nating ilabas at ipaliwanag ang mga proyekto sa Navotas, dapat kaya rin ito ng lahat. Walang exempted pagdating sa pera ng bayan,” Tiangco also said.
Tiangco cautioned that unverified or questionable project insertions directly strip resources away from core public services, undermining fiscal integrity.
“Transparency is how we prevent corruption. Accountability is how we make sure it doesn’t happen again. Kung seryoso tayong linisin ang national budget, dapat bawat proyekto ay kayang ipaliwanag at bawat piso ay kayang panagutan,” Tiangco added.