Congress on Monday further extended its legislative calendar by moving the adjournment of session from 23 December to 30 December to allow time for the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 national budget, which remains under close scrutiny amid concerns over a possible recurrence of alleged “backdoor insertions.”

House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos moved to amend the previously adopted calendar, extending the original adjournment from 20 December to 23 December and subsequently to 30 December.

Marcos said additional time is needed to complete the preparation and ratification of the bicam report on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which was delayed by disagreements between the House and Senate panels over several provisions, particularly funding for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He added that the Senate is also expected to amend its legislative calendar.

Under the revised schedule, both chambers are set to reconvene briefly on 29 December to ratify the bicam report, the final step before the budget is submitted to Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing.

House Appropriations Committee chair Mikaela Suansing said bicam members intend to sign the committee report on 28 December and distribute copies to all members of Congress on the same day.

Her assurance came in response to a query from Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio, who asked whether lawmakers would receive the bicam report in advance to allow sufficient time to review the changes introduced during bicameral deliberations.

Tinio said this would prevent a repeat of alleged “rubber-stamping” seen in the passage of the 2025 GAB, when lawmakers were reportedly given copies of the bicam report containing questionable provisions only at the “last minute.”

Marcos, however, assured that “All members will be provided copies of the bicameral conference committee report and everyone will be given ample time to review the same.”

President Marcos has said he intends to sign the 2026 GAB before year-end to avoid a reenacted budget.

A reenacted budget would mean that the previous year’s General Appropriations Act remains in effect until Congress passes a new budget, potentially slowing economic activity and disrupting the rollout of new government programs due to funding constraints.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address in July, the President warned lawmakers that he would not approve a budget that deviates from the Malacañang-approved National Expenditure Program, even if it results in a reenacted budget.

The warning followed allegations of billions of pesos worth of backdoor insertions in the 2025 GAA, which critics labeled as the “most corrupt” budget in history.

The proposed 2026 budget was initially set at P6.352 trillion but was reduced to P6.326 trillion after the President vetoed P194 billion in line items deemed inconsistent with his administration’s priorities, including P16.7 billion allocated for flood control projects.

During the recently concluded bicam meetings, which were held in open session for the first time, House and Senate panels were deadlocked over whether to approve further cuts to the DPWH budget amid anomalies tied to flood control projects.

DPWH budget under scrutiny

Suansing said last week that bicam members agreed to cut P90 billion from the DPWH allocation approved by the House, leaving the agency with roughly P570 billion for 2026.

The DPWH’s proposed budget was originally pegged at P881.3 billion. The House reduced this by P255 billion, largely from locally funded flood control projects, and realigned the funds to sectors such as education, health, and agriculture, bringing the allocation down to P625.7 billion.

The Senate further trimmed the DPWH budget to P568 billion under its version of the GAB.

In a speech before the plenary, Speaker Bojie Dy said the 2026 budget was transparent, free of insertions, and not rushed to ensure that public funds serve the national interest.

He noted that education received the largest allocation, equivalent to 4.1 percent of gross domestic product, with more than 25,000 classrooms slated for construction or rehabilitation and full funding restored for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program.

Dy also said funding for health and agriculture was increased to support PhilHealth members, ensure zero-balance billing for beneficiaries of the Medical Assistance to Individuals and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), and provide aid to farmers and fisherfolk through farm-to-market roads and irrigation projects.

Critics, however, have opposed the sharp increase in MAIFIP funding, calling it the new face of “pork” because of its discretionary nature and vulnerability to political patronage.

MAIFIP is a Department of Health program that provides financial assistance to indigent patients to help cover medical expenses.

The program relies on guaranteed letters issued by politicians, including lawmakers, a practice critics say undermines the Universal Health Care Act, which aims to limit discretion and ensure automatic access to medical services.