Lacson wants continuous Bicam livestream
'When the budget bill reaches the Bicam, as happened last year, there were many suspensions where lawmakers were whispering in a corner, away from the cameras.'
Livestream coverage of the upcoming Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) meetings on the 2027 national budget should remain uninterrupted even during session suspensions to prevent secret line-item insertions, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Sunday.
Lacson raised the proposal as the Senate prepares to conclude its review of the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program and the House of Representatives’ version of the general appropriations measure.
The senator stressed that continuous broadcast coverage during bicameral panel proceedings would deter lawmakers from making unlawful amendments out of public view.
“When the budget bill reaches the Bicam, as happened last year, there were many suspensions where lawmakers were whispering in a corner, away from the cameras,” Lacson said in a radio interview.
“I’d like to propose that the cameras keep rolling even during suspension of the proceedings so the public will know what is being discussed,” he added.
Congress first implemented public livestreaming of bicameral budget committee hearings in 2025 following congressional inquiries into a corruption scandal that revealed unprogrammed allocation insertions made during non-public panel suspensions.
Despite the transparency measures introduced last year, Lacson questioned the frequent recess periods during hearings, arguing that session breaks allowed lawmakers to negotiate outside camera range.
“Suspensions should be avoided because they allow opportunities for whispering and bargaining,” Lacson said. “Suspensions should be made so lawmakers can answer the call of nature, not to engage in whispered discussions.”
Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations are expected to begin in December following Senate passage of its version of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill.
The joint conference committee will reconcile conflicting provisions passed by both chambers before submitting the finalized budget bill to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signature.