The Senate on Monday ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget, just hours after the House gave its approval. With both chambers on board, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can now sign the budget into law before year-end, averting fears of a reenacted 2025 budget.

The approval capped marathon bicameral talks that ran into the early hours of 18 December, following weeks of negotiations over Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA), DPWH cuts, and safeguards against anomalous projects.

Bicam co-chairs Rep. Mikaela Suansing and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed confidence the President would sign the measure with minimal vetoes, unlike last year’s P194 billion in cuts which included P16.7 billion for flood control.

Key allocations

Education topped the list with a historic P1.35 trillion — 4.4 percent of GDP — funding classrooms, textbooks, and expanded school feeding programs. Health received P447.6 billion, including a 15-percent boost for PhilHealth to P129.78 billion. Social services remained robust, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund at P39.8 billion and key UA items like Foreign-Assisted Projects (P97.3 billion), SAGIP (P80.9 billion), AFP Modernization (P50 billion), and health emergency allowances (P6.7 billion).

The DPWH budget was cut to P529.6 billion — roughly P300 billion less than the original proposal — after locally funded flood control projects were cut amid the corruption probe.

Suansing confirmed that no locally funded flood control projects will proceed in 2026, while Gatchalian noted safeguards, including bans on political signage during aid distributions and adjustments to construction costs to prevent overpricing. He called the measure a “people-first” budget and a turning point for fiscal policy, focusing on human capital and institutional integrity.

Senators weigh in

Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed the P42.5-million boost for the National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse of Children (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM), raising its total funding to P70.5 million, and highlighted transparency reforms like open bicameral sessions and a budget portal.

Senator Loren Legarda backed the budget for its human development focus but stressed the monitoring of health programs due to lapses in PhilHealth and other mandated contributions that could undermine Universal Health Care.

Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan voted “yes” — but not without raising serious concerns.

Lacson called his “yes” vote a rare affirmative, delivered “with strong reservations.”

He flagged discretionary and duplicative social welfare programs like MAIFIP and AICS, warning they could be exploited for political patronage. He also noted the lack of safeguards to prevent interference by officials or candidates.

Pangilinan cast a “yes with reservations” vote over the DPWH’s inclusion in farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, citing unresolved cases tied to flood-control works. He urged President Marcos to veto the provision allowing the Department of Agriculture to partner with DPWH for the P33-billion FMR program, stressing that FMRs are critical economic tools linked to food security.

Senator Rodante Marcoleta opposed the budget, citing restored unprogrammed appropriations of P243.4 billion — well above the Senate’s reduced version — and audit findings showing weak oversight of social assistance programs. He called for a shift toward long-term interventions in food security, education, healthcare and livelihoods.

The Senate approved the bill on third reading without the signatures of Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go and Imee Marcos. The bicam sessions concluded at 2:22 a.m. on 18 December after 10-hour marathons.

The enrolled bill now heads to Malacañang for the President’s signature expected early in January. The Palace has hailed it as a “people-centered” plan, surpassing the 2025 national budget’s P6.326 trillion amid inflation and debt concerns, ensuring timely funding for key national priorities.