Senator Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, assured the public that no closed-door discussions will take place outside the livestreamed bicameral conference committee sessions that will finalize the ₱6.793-trillion national budget.
“Walang secret bicam,” Gatchalian said in a December 12 online interview, adding that legislators have not held any advance meetings nor pushed him for last-minute amendments.
“Lahat napag-usapan naman e during the budget deliberations… so ang daming opportunity para mapag-usapan ‘yun.”
He said remaining proposals may still be discussed during the livestreamed sessions but urged colleagues to confine changes to disagreeing provisions rather than introduce new amendments.
Gatchalian added that agencies continue to request budget increases, but he has told them, “there’s no more chance because the Senate’s third reading version is already finished.”
Bicam proceedings have long been criticized for opaque, closed-door negotiations that enabled last-minute insertions, particularly for flood control projects linked to alleged kickbacks.
In response to public outrage and the recent corruption scandal, both chambers agreed to livestream this year’s meetings.
The sessions, originally set for December 12, were moved to December 13–14 after technical staff requested more time to complete preparatory work.
Gatchalian said teams are comparing both chambers’ versions to produce a detailed matrix of differences.
“They wanna make sure lang na lahat ng items ay nakikita nila kasi once na may kaunting mali lang, magiging mali rin yung discussion,” he explained.
He said the delay is “worth it,” emphasizing that accuracy and transparency must guide the process.