Suansing: P10-billion budget hike for House for members’ personnel, office needs

House Appropriations Committee chairperson and Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Suansing on Monday defended the P10-billion increase in the budget of the House of Representatives for 2026, saying the original P16.3-billion proposed budget for the chamber will leave around 50 lawmakers without salary and their respective offices non-functional.

Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste had earlier claimed that the House “secretly” increased its proposed budget allocated to it by the Department of Budget and Management to P27 billion.

However, Suansing said, “Dumaan po ‘yun sa masusing deliberation [at] may justification po doon. One important justification is that the NEP level po, at kinakausap po namin ‘yung DBM patungkol dito, kasi po [at least] 312 po kami na mga kongresista. Ang assumption lang po sa NEP level is around 260 to 280 [House members].”

(The budget increase for the House was subjected to comprehensive deliberations and there is justification for the increase. At the National Expenditure Program level, and we discussed it with the DBM, is that there are 312 Congress members. The assumption at the NEP level was that there would only be 260 to 280 members.)

“Kulang po ‘yung assumption nila. For example po sa personnel services, among others. Kailangan namin kausapin ‘yung DBM patungkol doon na hopefully come the 2027 NEP, sana po maayos na sa NEP pa lang para hindi na po kailangan i-adjust,” she added.

(Their assumption came up short, for example when it came to personnel services. We really need to talk to the DBM so that for the next budget cycle in 2027, we won’t have to do the adjustment on the budget ourselves.)

Likewise, Suansing said that the budget increase for the House from P16.3 billion to P27 billion is no secret and has been subjected to multiple deliberations and approved at the level of the House and the Bicameral conference committee with the Senate contingent.

“If you would notice, the 2026 appropriations for the House is lower than our 2025 appropriations [of P33 billion]. I want to make that clear. Secondly, ayoko po magbanggit kung sino po, isa sa aming mga kasamahan na pasikreto daw po itong pinasok [I don't want to name names, but one of our colleagues said this was secretly inserted]. I invite him to again review the deliberations. This was discussed in the plenary and the Bicam deliberations,” Suansing said.

“Definitely po hindi po pasikreto and I invite our colleague to please take a look at the previous hearings and deliberations.”

DPWH

Suansing also said that P529-billion allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways—the department at the center of the flood control projects controversy—is needs-based.

“Wala pong insertions sa ating budget, wala pong tago ng mga pondo o programa na isiningit sa budget. Lahat po ito ay dumaan sa masusing deliberasyon ng Kongreso at lahat po ito ay nakabase doon po sa mga in-endorse ng mga district engineering offices ng kanya-kanyang mga distrito base po sa mga pangangailangan,” she said.

(There are no insertions in the budget, there are no hidden funds or programs inserted in the budget. All of it went through comprehensive deliberations in Congress and all of it is based on what the district engineering offices endorsed based on their needs.)

“Lalo na po pagdating sa DPWH budget, makikita po natin lahat ‘yan ay galing sa ahensiya…doon po sa mga inilatag na plano at programa ng mga respective district engineering offices,” Suansing added.

(Especially with the DPWH budget, we can all see that all of it comes from the agency...all in the plans and programs laid out by the respective engineering offices.)

Unprogrammed funds

Suansing also said that the P243 billion in unprogrammed funds in the ratified P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 will not be used for infrastructure projects, including flood control projects, except for two projects funded by foreign money.

Unprogrammed appropriations are budget items which will only be funded if there is excess government revenue collection or other sources of funding such as special laws or loans.

“When you see the unprogrammed appropriations [off the ratified Bicam report], you will see around nine or 10 special provisions specifying the parameters as to when the unprogrammed appropriations will be eligible for funding. The previous occurrence of flood control being funded under the unprogrammed appropriations under SAGIP, that [provision] is not there anymore,” Suansing said, referring to Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs present in previous iterations of the national budget.

“The special provisions specify what are the authorized uses of the items under unprogrammed appropriations. They are clearly spelled out. Wala na pong SAGIP. Wala na pong infrastructure projects, aside from foreign-assisted projects which are subject to intense scrutiny because their funding is a product of multilateral negotiations between the Philippine government and our multilateral partners,” she said.

“The unprogrammed fund will not fund any infrastructure project outside of those foreign-assisted. So if there are worries, definitely, 100%, I can say that the entire budget for that matter will not fund any flood control project in 2026.”

Suansing also denied Leviste’s allegations that each member of the House got a P2 million Christmas bonus.

“Wala pong katotohanan ‘yan [There is no truth to that]. I vehemently deny that. I don't want to speak ill of anyone, especially my colleagues in the house, but there is no truth to that at all,” she said. — BM, GMA Integrated News