End parliamentary courtesy for OP, OVP budgets – watchdogs

Calls to end the practice of extending “parliamentary courtesy” in the House and Senate come amid concerns over the size of allocations and alleged anomalies involving confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and the Local Government Support Fund.

Philstar.com / Enrico Alonzo

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers should stop giving the Office of the President (OP) and Office of the Vice President (OVP) a free pass during budget deliberations and subject their spending plans to the same scrutiny as other agencies, according to budget watchdogs.

Calls to end the practice of extending “parliamentary courtesy” in the House and Senate come amid concerns over the size of allocations and alleged anomalies involving confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and the Local Government Support Fund.

Public finance specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara said this must be abolished as it undermines full budget transparency and accountability.

“Public trust is now very low because of opacity in the many aspects of the budget. It is no longer acceptable to accept parliamentary courtesy for both the OP and OVP in light of both the level of allocations and anomalies surrounding the use of the confidential and intelligence funds,” Suzara told The STAR.

Her remarks came after the House appropriations committee last week swiftly approved the OP’s proposed P10.2-billion budget for 2027, with lawmakers voting 37-5 to end the deliberations after invoking parliamentary courtesy.

The proposed allocation is about 64 percent lower than the OP’s P28-billion budget for 2026.

But Suzara said the OP’s proposed CIF accounts for about half of the total CIF being sought under the 2027 National Expenditure Program.

“On the other hand, the Vice President is on trial for the misuse of her confidential funds. Furthermore, the public deserves to know what other items are funded in the budgets of OP and OVP,” she added.

The OVP proposed a P785.2-million budget for next year, down 11.7 percent from its P889.24-million 2026 allocation.

For University of the Philippines professor and former finance undersecretary Cielo Magno, extending parliamentary courtesy to the OP and OVP is “inappropriate.”

“The funds allocated to the OP and OVP are not entitlements. They are public funds. Like any other office, they should account and explain how they are utilizing the people’s money and what are the outcomes and impacts they achieved in utilizing public fund. They should also explain the purpose of the funds they are requesting,” she said.

Legislative oversight over budget should not exempt any agency, particularly the OP and OVP, according to Tim Salomon of the Caucus of Development Non-Government Organizations Network.

“There should be no sacred cows in legislative oversight of the budget,” he said.