Gatchalian vows to block ‘alien projects’ in 2026 budget bicam talks
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Senator Win Gatchalian on Wednesday vowed to block the entry of so-called “alien” items in the proposed 2026 national budget as Congress heads into the crucial bicameral conference committee, the final stage before the spending measure reaches Malacañang.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said he will not allow last-minute insertions or projects that were never part of either chamber’s original budget proposals.
“’Yan yung aming pag-iingatan moving forward, lalo na sa bicam conference. Hindi na tayo papayag sa mga alien projects, meaning projects na wala sa original proposal o ‘yung bigla na lang pumapasok sa bicam (That’s what we will be careful about moving forward, especially in the bicam conference. We will no longer allow ‘alien projects,’ meaning projects that were not in the original proposal or those that are suddenly inserted during the bicam),” he stressed.
“Unang una, hindi namin napag-usapan ‘yan at pangalawa, masisira ang buong budget process (First of all, we did not discuss that, and second, it would ruin the entire budget process),” he added.
The senator made the assurance after Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed that some officials in the executive department allegedly misrepresented the President and succeeded in inserting P100 billion worth of allocations during the bicameral conference for the current year’s budget.
Lacson commended Gatchalian’s firm stance and efforts to strengthen transparency in the budget process.
“That’s why I laud your effort na maging transparent hanggang sa bicam. Wala nang ‘alien’ items na papasok outside of the House and Senate versions,” Lacson said, calling the push a significant step toward what he described as potentially the most transparent and corruption-free national budget to date.
