Manila: Speaker Faustino Dy III on Friday assured the public that the 2026 national budget is being crafted with full transparency and accountability, as the House of Representatives has put in place new systems to open the budget process to public scrutiny and strengthen oversight during implementation.

According to Philippines News Agency, Dy highlighted in a radio interview the establishment of the Budget Amendments and Revisions Sub-Committee (BARSc) as part of his reforms in the 20th Congress. This body is responsible for reviewing and realigning appropriations, with all proceedings being livestreamed to allow Filipinos to witness the deliberations and realignments of funds by lawmakers.

Dy emphasized that the adjustments in the national budget align with the Marcos administration's priority programs, which include reallocating recovered funds from flood-control projects to initiatives directly benefiting communities. The 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is also being discussed in open, livestreamed plenary sessions, enabling citizens and civil society organizations to follow the budget process.

Dy mentioned the collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop a system for monitoring the budget's implementation post-enactment. This system aims to prevent substandard projects and ghost spending by enabling real-time tracking of projects nationwide.

He underlined the importance of citizen and civil society cooperation in safeguarding and monitoring government projects. As part of the House's commitment to transparency, the 2026 national budget will be taken up on second reading, with the session being livestreamed for public viewing.

The livestreamed deliberations, Dy noted, are designed to allow citizens and civil society groups to observe how lawmakers scrutinize and refine the government's spending plan.