Budget amendments review sub-committee in; "small committee" out.

Newly-installed Committee on Appropriations chairperson, Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing is proposing several key reforms to this year's budget process in the House of Representatives.

In her first press conference as appropriations panel chief on Monday afternoon, Aug. 4, Suansing backed House Speaker Martin Romualdez' call to open the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings in the interest of elevating transparency in the process.

She suggested more such changes.

"The so-called ‘small committee’—a mechanism that has long been mischaracterized and misunderstood—will be officially scrapped. We are replacing it with a process that unfolds in full view of the public,” Suansing declared.

The Harvard-educated legislator said this abolition "marks a major turning point".

The small committee--usually composed of just four persons--are tasked to incorporate the House members' individuals administrations to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget after it is approved by the chamber on third and final reading. This practice--a tradition, really--has recently come under fire.

Instead, the appropriations panel will form a "sub-committee on budget amendments review". Suansing said it will be tasked with facilitating and deliberating on proposed amendments submitted by agencies and House members.

"This sub-committee will be formed at the beginning, manifested at the organizational meeting of the Committee on Appropriations," she said.

"The sub-committee will run parallel to the budget deliberations of the Committee on Appropriations. They will continually receive proposed amendments and deliberate on these. Meaning, all throughout September to October. Deliberations of this sub-committee...will be open to the public-open and transparent," she said.

Suansing said that In support of the new rule, the House will also consider adjustments to the budget calendar to ensure that members have enough time to thoroughly review and refine the budget during the plenary period before the vote on second reading.

“We are committed to deliberating smarter, not just faster. Better budget scrutiny means better public service delivery,” Suansing said.

Undoubtedly, the bicam hearings are a crucial part of the budget process. "We support Speaker Romualdez’s call for open bicam sessions so that the public sees how final budget figures are decided,” she said.

“The bicam shouldn’t be the curtain call of transparency—it should be its final act,” noted the Ivy Leaguer.

Another cornerstone of the Speaker’s reform program is the formal participation of civil society organizations and non-government actors as observers during all stages of the budget process—from agency presentations to plenary deliberations and bicameral meetings.

“We are replacing archaic processes that placed budget power in the hands of a chosen few. From now on, we want everyone involved. The budget is the people’s money. They deserve to see how every peso is allocated, every program justified, and every decision made," Suansing stressed.

"From now on, the people will witness the process in real time—because this is their budget. This isn’t about optics. It’s about outcomes,” Suansing said.

“These changes aren’t just procedural—they are political, moral, and constitutional commitments to restore faith in how public funds are handled.”