Bersamin: 'Clean your house first' quip not intended to malign House

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Monday clarified that his "clean your house first" quip at the members of the House of Representatives is not meant to malign the Lower Chamber packed with the President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s allies.

Bersamin made the response when asked by House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan what the executive secretary exactly meant when he issued the statement on Sunday.

The executive secretary said in the statement that: “The Members of the Cabinet will not tolerate any attack on the integrity and reputation of the Executive Branch, and any effort to hold the budget process hostage by political theatrics. Hence, we urge the House of Representatives to heed the demand of the people for full accountability: CLEAN YOUR HOUSE FIRST." 

"There is nothing intended [in the statement] that is malicious or to malign the House of Representatives,” Bersamin said during the presentation of the Office of the President’s proposed P27 billion budget for 2026 before the House appropriations panel. 

“It was more to emphasize our constitutional position and separation, and to elicit cooperation and support from the House of Representatives more than any other. We do not intend to rile up the tension between our departments,” he added.

House leaders led by Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno earlier flagged the proposed P6.7 trillion budget for 2026 due to erroneous entries such as repetitive allocation for the same budget item, allocations for projects already completed, among others.

In a separate statement issued later in the day, Speaker and Leyte Rep.Martin Romualdez interpreted Bersamin’s position as a call for calm from Romualdez’s cousin, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

“On behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for his understanding and his call for calm. We also acknowledge the dedicated work of the Cabinet in preparing the National Expenditure Program,” said Romualdez, who met and shook hands with Bersamin  after the budget deliberations.

He also clarified that the House is not engaging in blame game but is rather advocating for accountability, including House members, to address urgent budget concerns.

“If our deliberations have caused any discomfort, we ask for understanding. The House’s duty is not to cast blame but to ensure that every peso in the budget is transparent, accountable, and truly for the people,” Romualdez, a lawyer, said.

“We recognize that there are issues that must be addressed, and we begin by putting our own House in order. Walang exempted—kasama kami diyan (Nobody is exempted here). At the same time, we stand firm in our partnership with the Executive, under the leadership of the President, to strengthen the budget process and to make sure that government resources are used wisely and well,” he added.

In closing, Romualdez  said the House and the Executive Branch are partners in public service.

“The House stands united with the President and his Cabinet to restore trust, ensure transparency, and deliver a budget that is credible, acceptable, and beneficial to every Filipino,” he added. —AOL, GMA Integrated News