Reps refute VP Sara's claim on budget control

Several House of Representatives lawmakers, including Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, have refuted Vice President Sara Duterte's assertion that only two officials control the national budget.

Co described Duterte's claim as another "scam attempt" that the Filipino people would not believe, noting that the Office of the President executes the budget, not Congress.

He explained that budget decisions are made by collegial bodies, highlighting the large number of representatives involved in the appropriations committee, which consists of around 139 members, with approximately 36 vice-chairpersons.

Furthermore, Co pointed out that the Senate has 24 members, and the bicameral conference committee, where the House and Senate reconcile their versions of the budget, involves around 30 participants, all of whom attend in public.