House names Suansing, 11 other House solons as bicam contingent

The House of Representatives on Wednesday officially named 12 lawmakers who will sit in the bicameral conference committee, along with their counterparts in the Senate, to iron out the conflicting provisions in their respective versions of the 2026 budget bill.

The House contingent will be led by appropriations committee chairperson Mikaela Suansing, with senior vice chair Albert Garcia.

Meanwhile, Reps. Kristine Singson-Meehan, Jose Alvarez, Maricar Zamora, Romeo Momo Sr., Rufus Rodriguez, Jesus Romualdo, Brian Yamsuan, and Javier Benitez will comprise the majority. 

House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, on the other hand, elected Reps. Marcelino Libanan (minority leader) and Allan Ty from the opposition bloc. 

Finance committee chairperson Win Gatchalian, meanwhile, will head the Senate contingent, along with vice chairs Mark Villar, Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Francis Pangilinan, Camille Villar, Imee Marcos, and Ronald de la Rosa, as well as Senators Erwin Tulfo and Bong Go.

The 24 lawmakers would be responsible for reconciling the disagreeing provisions of the House’s and the Senate’s versions of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). 

The bicam report would be the final version of the 2026 budget, and once approved, would be ratified by both chambers before being transmitted to Malacanang for President Marcos Jr.’s approval. 

This year’s bicam members are under intense scrutiny due to concerns of a possible recurrence of last-minute insertions as seen in the corruption-marred 2025 budget.

The 2025 GAA, initially set at P6.352 trillion, was trimmed to P6.326 trillion after Marcos vetoed P194 billion worth of line items deemed inconsistent with his administration’s priority programs, including P16.7 billion for flood control projects, now at the center of a corruption probe.

The alleged irregularities in the budget were heavily blamed on the bicam, which traditionally met in closed session.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address in late July, Marcos warned he would not approve a budget that deviates from the Malacanang-drafted National Expenditure Program, regardless of whether it results in a reenacted budget.

A reenacted budget would mean that the previous year's GAA would remain in effect until both chambers of Congress pass the current GAB. This may result in an economic slowdown and may hamper the delivery of government services, as new programs and projects will be unfunded. 

For the first time since assuming office, Marcos did not certify the 2026 budget bill as urgent, which would require Congress to expedite its passage without adhering to the three-day interval for approval on second and third reading, allowing it to be passed on the same day.

Both the House and the Senate moved the adjournment of the session for their month-long holiday break to 23 December. 

The one-week extension aims to ensure that the 2026 budget leaves no room for blunders and is thoroughly scrutinized before being sent to the president.