Rep. Baronda supports public access to budget bicam meetings

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda expressed support for the proposal to open bicameral conference committee (bicam) meetings on the national budget to the public to promote transparency and curb corruption.

“We want that, especially since we are campaigning for transparency and good governance,” she said in an interview with Bombo Radyo Iloilo on Tuesday, July 29.

“We need that to ensure that the public sees our legislators are willing to work, collaborate, and uphold transparency in governance and service,” she added.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, during the opening of the 20th Congress session on Monday, said making bicam meetings public would help build trust and strengthen democratic institutions.

House minority lawmakers have also filed joint resolutions to allow public access to all bicam meetings, including livestreaming.

The resolutions also call for the publication of detailed meeting minutes and comparison matrices between the Senate and House budget versions to clearly track disagreements and resolutions.

The Senate minority bloc echoed this support and filed a resolution pushing for full public access to all bicam deliberations.

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said the Senate welcomes “serious proposals” to enhance public understanding of the national budgeting process and supports institutionalizing transparency in bicam proceedings.

Senators and fiscal transparency advocates, including Ping Lacson and Risa Hontiveros, have filed bills to permanently open bicam sessions to the public.

This renewed push for transparency comes amid scrutiny of the 2025 national budget, particularly the increase in unprogrammed funds to over PHP500 billion and alleged last-minute insertions after ratification.

Baronda also welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to investigate flood control projects following reports of substandard, incomplete, or ghost infrastructure.

In his State of the Nation Address, Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to submit a full list of all flood control projects started or completed over the past three years.

“We really need to focus on these investigations, especially flood control projects across the country,” Baronda said.

She stressed the importance of identifying which local government units follow proper standards and recognizing those that conduct feasibility studies and meet the specific needs of their districts.

Recently, flood control projects implemented by the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) and facilitated by Baronda came under fire from the city government for allegedly worsening flooding in Iloilo City and neighboring towns.

Baronda and the ICDEO denied the accusations, asserting that their projects are not responsible for the recent flooding.