Senate, House conclude ‘transparent, responsive’ bicam on 2026 GAA

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

BICAM COMMITTEE. The Bicameral Committee on House Bill No. 4058 opened deliberations at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Dec.13, 2025, to reconcile the disagreeing votes on the 2026 national budget. The bicameral committee was livestreamed for the first time, with a centralized digital portal launched to give Filipinos direct access to budget documents. (House of Representatives of the Philippines/facebook)

MANILA – The Senate and the House of Representatives early Thursday concluded the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), capping six days of discussions aimed at producing a transparent and responsive national budget.

The bicam wrapped up its work at around 2:22 a.m., reconciling the disagreeing provisions of the PHP6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill.

The Senate panel was led by Committee on Finance chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian, while the House contingent was headed by Committee on Appropriations chairperson Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing.

Gatchalian said the bicam has completed its mandate and produced a budget responsive to public needs.

“Finally, we have concluded our bicameral conference committee meeting… and finally, we have a budget that we can be proud of and responsive to the Filipino people,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the final output, noting that the budget addresses public concerns on integrity and pricing.

“Ako ay kampante na ang budget na ito ay tunay na tutugon sa mga pangangailangan po ng ating mga kababayan (I am confident that this budget will truly respond to the needs of our people),” Gatchalian said.

Suansing described the conclusion of the bicam as historic, as it marked the first time that national budget bicameral proceedings were livestreamed.

“Muli, ito po ay isang napakamakasaysayang araw para sa ating bansa… ito ang pinakaunang livestream ng bicameral conference committee proceedings (Once again, this is a very historic day for our country… this is the first-ever livestream of bicameral conference committee proceedings),” she said.

She said the livestream allowed the public to witness firsthand the effort that went into crafting the national budget.

“I hope that now our kababayans were able to see firsthand kung gaano po naming pinaghirapan ang pagbuo ng budget na ito (I hope our fellow Filipinos were able to see firsthand how hard we worked on this budget),” Suansing said.