Manila, Aug. 5 -- House Committee on Higher and Technical Education chair Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list on Tuesday led a consultation with leaders of various civil society organizations (CSOs), marking the beginning of a broader push to institutionalize public participation in crafting the 2026 national budget.

Among those present were lawyer Natasha Daphne Sta. Clara Marcelo of the MoveAsOne Coalition; engineer Rene Santiago of the Foundation for Economic Freedom; Eunice Tanilon of the We Solve Foundation; Raul Montemayor of the Federation of Free Farmers; Danica Supnet of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities; Adolfo Jose Montesa of the People's Budget Coalition; May Cinco of ENet Philippines; John Benedict Felices of the...