Politics · Philippines Bureau
Catholic bishops demand transparency on P190B House budget additions
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has called for accountability over nearly 7,000 infrastructure projects worth P190 billion inserted into the proposed 2027 national budget. The church group said the additions lack publicly available documentation to justify the spending.
LSN Philippines ·
The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged the House of Representatives to provide detailed explanations and supporting documents for close to 7,000 infrastructure projects totaling P190 billion that were added to the draft 2027 national budget.
In a statement released Monday, the CBCP leadership raised concerns about the lack of public disclosure surrounding the budget insertions, questioning the transparency and accountability of the legislative process. The church organization emphasized that such substantial allocations require proper documentation and public scrutiny to ensure funds are directed toward legitimate and necessary projects.
The call from the CBCP represents growing concern among civil society groups and institutional observers regarding budget practices in Congress. With nearly two hundred billion pesos in question, the church's intervention signals broader public interest in how government spending decisions are made and justified to taxpayers.
The House has yet to formally respond to the CBCP's demands for transparency. Budget hearings and deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget are expected to continue as lawmakers address questions about the scale and nature of the infrastructure projects inserted during the budget process.