House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan has stripped the mystique off the so-called "small committee" amid continued claims of certain comgressmen that it is the root of corruption in the annual budget process.

According Libanan, the small committee--a fixture in lower chamber since 2020--is nothing but an internal mechanism designed to facilitate the inclusion of solons' individual amendments to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) during budget season.

"Ang function ng small committee ay tumanggap ng individual amendments para sa GAB I, at ‘yung individual amendments ipo-proseso po ng small committee at ito po ilalagay sa GAB II na aprubahan po ng plenaryo,” he said in a recent press conference.

(The function of the small committee is to receive individual amendments for GAB I, and those individual amendments will be processed by the small committee and included in GAB II, which will be approved by the plenary.)

By "GAB I", Libanan means the budget measure approved on third and final reading by the House plenary; GAB II is the immediate version after the incorporation of the individual amendments.

The sheer number of congressmen--around 300--makes the function of the small committee highly practical, the House leader said. Otherwise, requests for invidvual ammendments will flood the GAB in plenary and hold up its passage.

Libanan said the practice began in the 18th Congress under the Duterte administration.

During the passage of the P6.352-trillion GAB for 2025, Libanan, Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, Appropriations Senior Vice Chairperson Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo, and Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe comprised the small committee.

Quimbo and Dalipe are no longer House members, while Co is receiving medication in the United States (US).

Libanan says the group's taak is merely to compile and proces their colleagus' proposals before they are submitted to plenary for a final vote. He pointed out that the finished product of the process is always debated, amended and approved in full view of the public.

Libanan highlighted that his own role in the small committee was limited. More importantly, it did not give him or the minority bloc sweeping control over allocations in the GAB.

“Ang role ng minority leader sa small committee ay i-collate ang mga kahilingan ng mga minority members. Sa akin po, ipina-received ko yung ating kahilingan, yung kahilingan ng mga committee members at iprinisinta ko ito kay Chairman Zaldy Co,” he said.

(The role of the minority leader in the small committee is to collate the requests of the minority members. As for me, I had our request received, the request of the committee members, and I presented it to Chairman Zaldy Co.)

He shared in jest that many of his own requests were not even reflected in the enacted 2025 budget,

Libanan recounted that among his proposals was the long-pending Northern Samar–Matnog bridge project, which had been raised in previous years and noted in the plenary debates. However, its fate remained uncertain.

Libanan further noted that the small committee’s existence is temporary; it ceases to exist once the GAB is approved.

“Automatic na po nadi-dissolve yung small committee. Ganun lang po nag function niyan (The small committee automatically gets dissolved. That sums up its function),” he said.