First-ever 'open' bicam convenes

The first-ever live-streamed bicameral conference committee for the national budget convened on Saturday, 13 December, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay.

Finance panel head Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the Senate had also made all documents relating to the national budget accessible to the public through a centralized Senate budget transparency portal.

"This year finds us in extraordinary times. The 2026 national budget is being deliberated upon as the nation grapples with the corruption revealed in the flood control scandal," Gatchalian pointed out.

"Public trust in our government institutions has been shaken, and so it is imperative that we do everything we can to repair our social contract with the people we have sworn to serve," he added.

Gatchalian said that the "transparent" bicameral conference committee is "a recognition that the Filipino people are the ultimate stakeholders of every peso contained within every national budget."

He also urged his colleagues to review and discuss the varying fiscal and development priorities of the proposed 2026 national budget with open dialogues and mutual respect as they aim to pass a budget that will shape the future of millions of Filipinos.

“We will ensure that our vision is broad, beyond the current standards, towards a prosperous future for our countrymen. We will ensure that the national budget for the year 2026 will serve as a way to raise the lives of every Filipino," the senator said.

"We will show them that a government is not just about having a clear, open, and correct way of thinking. We will prove to them that we will not abandon their dreams,” he added.

Bicam OKs P86.8-billion budget for DepEd

The bicameral conference committee has approved the proposed P958-billion budget of the Department of Education (DepEd)'s Office of Secretary.

The move raised DepEd's final budget to P961.3 billion.

According to Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing, head of the House finance committee, the biggest increase in the budget were on classrooms, textbooks, and the school-based feeding program.

Suansing said in terms of the school-based feeding program, there would be an increase of P13.9 billion from P11.7 billion.