President’s Role in Budget Bicameral Conference Questioned
Senate deputy minority leader Senator Risa Hontiveros has strongly emphasized that the President has no role as an observer during the bicameral conference committee meeting on the proposed 2026 national budget. She expressed concerns about the constitutionality of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s potential involvement in the budget bicameral conference.
Hontiveros warned that allowing the President to attend as an observer could raise legal issues. “Even if the President is willing, he cannot. He should not. The Constitution does not allow it,” she said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on May 21.
Constitutional Limits on Executive Involvement
The senator clarified that the power over the national budget, often called the “power of the purse,” rests solely with Congress. “The power of the purse is wielded by Congress and Congress alone—not the Executive, not any member of the Executive, not even the Chief Executive,” she explained.
She added that the Executive’s role is limited to submitting the national expenditure program to the House of Representatives. After that, the budget process is entirely in the hands of the legislature. “From then on, it is in the legislature’s hands and in our hands alone,” Hontiveros stated.
The bicameral conference committee, which consists of two panels from both chambers of Congress, is the proper venue for budget deliberations. Only after this process can the Office of the President exercise the power to approve or veto budget items.
Legal Risks and Pending Supreme Court Decision
Hontiveros also warned that if the Executive insists on allowing the President to sit as an observer during the bicameral meeting, legal charges could be filed against those involved. She noted that the administration is still facing complaints about the 2025 budget, and adding the President to the 2026 budget talks might complicate matters further.
“They might be sued, right, I mean, they’re not even out of the woods yet with regards to the complaints about our current 2025 budget. Would they add more problems to their 2026 budget?” she questioned.
The senator mentioned that they are still awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the cases filed against the administration over alleged blank items in the bicameral conference report on the 2025 budget.
Calls for Budget Reform Instead of Executive Involvement
Hontiveros urged that focus should instead be on implementing long-standing budget reforms rather than involving the President in the bicameral conference. “There are many long-standing proposals on budget reforms pushed by those budget reform advocates that we should consider and implement first rather than having the President go to the bicam,” she stressed.
She also referred to proposed reforms presented by lawmakers, including Senator Ping Lacson, as constructive steps toward improving the budget process.
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