Deputy Speaker Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun says the House of Representatives has the manpower needed to handle the passage of the proposed 2027 national budget as well as seeing through the Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial.

The House has over 300 members after all, and Khonghun said separate teams of solons will be assigned to different responsibilities.

“Marami naman nagtatrabaho lalo na sa Kongreso. May mga naka-assign sa impeachment, may mga naka-assign sa pagrerebisa sa budget, may naka-assign sa legislative work,” the "Young Guns" bloc member said on Sunday, July 26.

(Many are working, especially in Congress. Some are assigned to impeachment, some to budget review, and some to legislative work.)

“So dire-diretso lang 'yan. May mga teams na naka-assign sa bawat trabaho ng Kamara,” he noted ahead of the start of the second regular session on Monday, July 27.

(So it just goes straight on. There are teams assigned to each task of the House.)

Monday coincides with President Marcos' fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). And whenever a President delivers his or her SONA, the submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or proposed national budget to the House isn't that far away.

Traditionally, passing the budget measure is Congress' top priority in any given year, and the House always gets first dibs when it comes to crafting it through legislation.

The big difference this year is that the House is also seeking to convict Vice President Duterte before a Senate impeachment court. House members impeached the lady official for the second time in as many years last May 11.

Khonghun shared that while he was assigned to monitor the impeachment, he also plans to multi-task as far as the upcoming budget discussions are concerned.

“Bilang deputy speaker, tumutulong din tayo sa pagrerebisa ng budget dahil isa rin sa trabaho ng deputy speaker is tingnan at siguraduhin na maayos ang flow ng mga trabaho sa Kongreso,” he added.

(As deputy Sseaker, we also help in reviewing the budget because one of the duties of the deputy speaker is to ensure the smooth flow of work in Congress.)

A deputy speaker also serves as an ex-officio member of the Committee on Appropriations--the panel that handles the budget deliberations. It is also one of the House panels with the largest memberships, which is by design given the scale of the annual budget proceedings.

As for the impeachment process, the lower chamber has designated 11 solons as prosecutors. They are led by Committee on Justice Chairperson Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro.

The House is expected to begin committee deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget in August, while the Senate impeachment court keeps on hearing the high-stakes case.

Asked about proposals to change the structure of the impeachment proceedings by requiring the defense to immediately present its case after the prosecution finishes each article of impeachment, Khonghun said discussions between both parties are still ongoing.

Regardless of whether or not the court would implement changes--as senator-judges too will have to return to the legislative mill--Khonghun said the House prosecution panel remains focused on presenting its evidence and is prepared to move forward.

“Ang importante lang naman sa amin sa prosekusyon is lumabas 'yung katotohanan at mapagbigyan kami mailahad kung ano ang totoong kwento at talagang maipakita na talagang may pagkakasala ang ating Bise Presidente,” he said.

(What is important for us in the prosecution is that the truth comes out and that we are given the chance to present the real story and clearly show that the vice president is truly guilty.)