20/09/2026
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Questions are being raised over the sudden rescheduling of the House plenary deliberation on its proposed β±27.9-billion 2027 budget, which was reportedly moved from September 24 to September 17. The timing drew attention because Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, one of the lawmakers who had pushed for greater scrutiny of congressional spending, was abroad when the deliberation was held. Tiangco had previously questioned why the House was not subjected to the same pre-plenary budget examination required of other government agencies and had called for greater transparency over how congressional funds were allocated and spent.
The budget was sponsored by House Committee on Accounts Chair Maria Carmen Zamora, but the deliberation reportedly proceeded without a single member raising questions. Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas announced that no minority member would interpellate, after which Philreca Party-list Rep. Presley de Jesus moved to terminate the sponsorship and debate. The motion was seconded by the majority, bringing the deliberation to an end after only several minutes. The unusually brief proceedings meant that the proposed β±27.9-billion budget faced no recorded interpellation on the floor.
The development comes amid heightened public scrutiny of government spending and allegations surrounding questionable infrastructure and flood-control projects. While the lack of interpellation does not, by itself, establish any irregularity in the proposed congressional budget, the circumstances have prompted questions about why the deliberation was moved earlier and why the chamberβs own spending plan proceeded without floor questioning. Tiangco had previously argued that lawmakers should first examine how previous congressional allocations were used before assessing a new budget proposal, making his absence during the rescheduled deliberation particularly notable.