‘Open’ bicam finalizing 2025 budget

An “open” bicameral conference committee of Congress is set to meet for the last time on Wednesday to resolve contentious provisions in the proposed P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, announced the session, which comes less than a week before Congress adjourns for its Christmas break on 18 December.

According to Poe, members of the bicameral committee from both chambers are encouraged to raise questions regarding the reconciled version of the budget. The final draft is expected to be signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 19 December.

“Yes, our colleagues are welcome to ask in the open,” Poe said in a text message to reporters when asked about the committee’s approach to transparency.

Key items in the 2025 GAB include a P1.3-billion cut in the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), which the Senate retained despite lobbying by some senators.

Previously, Senator Imee Marcos, an ally of Vice President Sara Duterte, disclosed that 11 to 12 senators had attempted to restore the OVP’s budget, but the effort was unsuccessful.

Another contentious item was the P39-billion Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. This House-proposed social amelioration program aimed to assist 12 million poor and low-income families, benefiting an estimated 48 million Filipinos. However, the Senate defunded the program in its approved version of the GAB.