For the first time in Philippine history, lawmakers would use digital platforms in scrutinizing the proposed P4.5-trillion budget for 2021 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

The House committee on appropriations would kick off its marathon budget hearings on Friday, September 4, starting with the Development Budget Coordination Committee composed of the following agencies:

• Department of Budget and Management;
• National Economic and Development Authority;
• Department of Finance;
• Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Only 50 people – including lawmakers, officials from different agencies, and their staff – would be allowed to physically attend the hearings at the plenary hall or the Nograles Hall of the Batasang Pambansa in observance of physical distancing rules. 

The House is enforcing strict health measures in light of the pandemic, including mandatory wearing of face masks within the premises. 

The rest of the House members and other government officials would be asked to join the budget deliberations through teleconferencing app Zoom.

Based on the initial schedule released, 4 government departments per day are expected to present their budget proposals before lawmakers in the next two weeks. 

ACT-CIS Representative Eric Yap, who was appointed as appropriations panel chair only in March this year, said they would aim to livestream the budget hearings of major agencies.

He then said that his committee vice chairpersons were now holding separate meetings with different House blocs to consolidate their concerns on the national budget.

This would help streamline the budget hearings, where lawmakers tend to quiz heads of agencies regarding specific concerns of their legislative districts.

[Pinakamalaking challenge] unang-una, naka-hybrid tayo. Siyempre maraming mga congressman na, alam mo na, ’yong parochial concerns [ang gustong tanungin]… Pero ngayon, ginagawa namin lahat. Nagzo-Zoom kami per group para at least na-a-address na [itong mga issues na ito],” Yap told Rappler on Thursday, September 3. 

Yap listed among his budget priorities was setting allocations to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, laptops and other gadgets for students under distance learning, and infrastructure projects aimed to generate jobs for Filipinos displaced by the pandemic.

Yap, a neophyte congressman, was named chair of the powerful appropriations panel in the wake of the alleged coup plot against Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano just before the pandemic hit the country earlier this year.

Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab was stripped of his appropriations committee chairmanship after clashing with the Speaker and his ally, Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte, over the 2020 national budget. 

Filipinos urged to ‘join’ budget delibs

Cayetano wants this year’s budget hearings to be more inclusive, urging Filipinos to “participate” in the proceedings by leaving their comments on the livestream pages in the coming days. 

“We are the House of the People. We will be discussing the people’s money so the people should have a voice. They should be able to give us their opinion, tell us what they want us to prioritize, and witness the process firsthand,” Cayetano said in a statement. 

The House leadership was also eyeing to create a separate message board and social media account to accommodate the feedback on the proposed budget from ordinary citizens.

On Thursday, September 3, the Speaker and other ranking House members met with member-institutions of the Knowledge for Development Community (KDC) to get their inputs on the P4.5-trillion national budget proposal for 2021. 

The KDC members at the meeting included representatives from the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, De La Salle University, Stephen Zuellig Graduate School-Asian Institute of Management, Central Philippine University in Iloilo City, Siliman University in Dumaguete, and St Paul University in Tuguegarao.

“We hope to open more avenues of cooperation with the academe, non-government organizations, and other sectoral groups in the budget hearings this month to help make the 2021 budget more responsive and inclusive,” said Cayetano. 

The Speaker already warned government agencies that their performance during the COVID-19 crisis would determine how much they would get from the 2021 budget. 

Cayetano hoped both the House and the Senate would complete their respective budget hearings by November, giving President Rodrigo Duterte ample time to look into the budget and sign it into law. – Rappler.com