TINIYAK ni Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez na masusing pag-aaralan ng Kamara de Representantes ang panukalang P6.793 trilyong pambansang budget para sa 2026.

“Bawat piso ay may pinaglalaanan, at bawat gastusin ay dapat may pakinabang sa tao,” ani Romualdez sa briefing ng Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) sa House committee on appropriations.

Kabilang sa mga miyembro ng DBCC ay sina Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan Jr. at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr., na bumalangkas sa batayan ng National Expenditure Program (NEP) na isinumite ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sa Kongreso.

“We will scrutinize, we will question, we will deliberate thoroughly. But we will do so not as adversaries, but as allies united by a shared purpose,” sabi ni Speaker Romualdez.

Ikinumpara ni Speaker Romualdez ang pambansang budget sa maingat na pagba-budget ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino, at binigyang-diin: “Just as every Filipino household plans its budget with care, we too must ensure that each peso serves a meaningful purpose.”

“This is not merely a fiscal principle—it is a moral imperative. It is our solemn duty to translate this proposed P6.793 trillion budget into classrooms for our youth, medicine for our sick, roads for our farmers, jobs for our youth, and security for our nation,” dagdag pa ng mambabatas.

Binigyang-diin ni Romualdez na ang pagdinig sa budget ay hindi lamang karaniwang gawain sa pananalapi, kundi isang mahalagang pagkakataon para masiguro na ang bawat piso ng bayan ay napupunta sa tunay na pangangailangan ng tao.

Tiniyak din ng pinuno ng Kamara na mas naging bukas at transparent na ngayon ang proseso sa Kamara.

“We ended the practice of the ‘small committee’. We welcomed civil society observers. Because the Filipino people deserve full transparency in how their hard-earned money is planned, allocated, and spent,” sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez.

“Kapag malinaw ang proseso, malinaw din ang tiwala. At kapag may tiwala ang taumbayan, may lakas ang pamahalaan. Transparency is not an option—it is the cornerstone of democratic governance,” aniya.

Ngunit iginiit din niya ang pangangailangang harapin ang hamon ng pandaigdigang ekonomiya, mataas na presyo ng bilihin at pagkakautang ng bansa.

“That is why this DBCC is so vital. It is the crucible where assumptions are examined, where aspirations are tested against reality,” ani Romualdez.

Binigyang-diin din niya na ang pambansang budget “ay higit pa sa simpleng talaan ng numero — ito ay isang malinaw na bisyon,” na dapat magbigay ng konkretong tugon sa panawagan ng Pangulo para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

“It is a comprehensive plan to connect communities, lower food costs, uplift education, strengthen healthcare systems, create livelihoods, and safeguard our sovereignty,” ayon sa mambabatas.

“Budgets are not built on numbers alone. They are built on trust. And trust is built on truth. If we honor that truth, this budget will not merely be a plan of government—it will be a covenant of hope with every Filipino,” saad pa ni Romualdez.