Romualdez backs ‘open bicam’ process

Speaker Martin Romualdez —Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — With the terms of most lawmakers expiring on June 30, reelected Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez boosted his bid to retain leadership of the House of Representatives by promising to make the budget process more transparent in the 20th Congress, which convenes on July 28.

“I support the move to make bicameral conference committee discussions open to the public,” said Romualdez, president of the Lakas-CMD party, which won 107 seats in the 20th Congress.

The “open bicam campaign” specifically seeks the full disclosure of bicameral conference committee deliberations—often the final stage in reconciling House and Senate versions of the national budget.

READ: House exec: Speaker Romualdez has supermajority in 20th Congress

Lawmakers said this could be achieved by live-streaming the bicam proceedings, allowing real-time access for citizens and stakeholders, and making the budget process more transparent to public scrutiny.

But the public has repeatedly criticized Congress’ fund allocation process because of the opacity of its deliberations, often including allotments that were not even proposed by the executive department nor discussed in regular budget hearings.

President Marcos himself complained last year about congressional insertions and funding cuts that emerged in the 2025 budget, including cuts of P12 billion from the Department of Education and P14.5 billion from state universities and colleges, despite a constitutional mandate that the sector always gets the largest share in the national budget.

Changes forthcoming

Romualdez, a cousin of President Marcos, said changes are forthcoming: “This is a crucial step in restoring public trust and ensuring that the national budget truly reflects the will and welfare of the people,” he said.

With the current coalitions in both chambers of Congress , both Romualdez and Sen. Francis Escudero are expected to retain their positions in the 20th Congress.

The Marcos administration’s “supermajorities” in both houses are also expected to stay the same, but congressional leaders have remained mum about the actual vote tallies until the 20th Congress convenes and announces leadership positions on July 28.

On that day, Mr. Marcos is also set to deliver his State of the Nation Address, outlining his desired legislative priorities in the last three years of his term.

Meanwhile, Romualdez pushed broader reforms in the next Congress. The national government’s budget for the year is usually among the first items in Congress’ agenda and is typically signed into law by November or December, in time for the new year for which the budget applies.

In a statement on Friday, Romualdez emphasized that transparency and accountability must serve as the cornerstones of the process for 2026 budget. /cb