Loyal Marcos ally Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco has left the pro-administration majority, due to non-transparency issues and dissatisfaction with the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez.

This developed as Lower House spokesperson Princess Abante decried as baseless the claims of irregularities in the distribution of cash assistance programs such as the AICS, AKAP,TUPAD and MAIP.

“I can no longer support the leadership of the House of Representatives,” said Tiangco in a statement sent to reporters belonging to the Camanava Press Corps.

Tiangco declared that he “would be serving now as an independent member” of the Lower House.

Two other key members of the Lower Chamber, Reps. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez of Bacolod City and Duke Frasco of Cebu, have also declared as independents, distancing themselves to both the majority and the minority blocs in the chamber.

Tiangco, who acted as campaign manager of the Marcos administration’s SEnate team during the May 2025 elections, has been vocal in his criticism of the budget process last year, noting that there transparency has been set aside.

“Budget insertions on several items must be strictly disallowed. The budget deliberations must be transparent from the start up to the end,” he said.

He has reportedly been the source of criticisms against the cash assistance programs that were implemented even at the height of the election campaign period of the May 12 polls.

However, Abante stressed that lawmakers from the Lower House were never part of the implementation of the doleout programs.