Senate leaders and members of the majority bloc on Friday welcomed the outcome of the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed ₱6.793 trillion national budget for 2026, describing the first-ever livestreamed proceedings as the “most transparent in recent memory.”
In a joint statement, Senate leaders said the livestreamed bicam marked a shift toward greater public accountability in crafting the national budget.
“This is the new normal we are building in the Senate: A budget process that people can watch, read and verify in real time, with the resulting discussions and supporting materials posted so taxpayers can trace how a peso moves from proposal to final item,” they said.
They acknowledged that no spending plan is flawless but emphasized the value of openness in the process.
“No budget is perfect,” they noted, “but a budget made in daylight is stronger.”
The senators said the public was able to observe every stage of the process, from committee briefings and plenary debates to the bicameral conference itself.
“(W)e call it the most transparent in recent memory because the public saw every step in full view, from committee briefings to plenary debates to the bicam itself, all on livestream and all archived for anyone who wants to follow the money,” they added.
The Senate leadership, led by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, also commended Senator Win Gatchalian for leading the Senate panel as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.
“Maraming salamat to our colleagues, staff and stakeholders who did the hard work. Let us carry this momentum to implementation, keep the doors open to oversight, and deliver a budget that works for Filipino families on time and in full,” they said.
Lawmakers vowed to continue livestreaming bicameral budget proceedings to deter questionable practices in future budget deliberations.
“We will keep this standard moving forward with livestreams, posted schedules and a bicam the public can actually watch, so confidence in the numbers grows with confidence in the process,” the senators said.
They stressed that transparency is now a firm policy, not mere rhetoric.
“Transparency here is policy, not just a catchphrase,” they said. “There were no midnight deals, no last-minute insertions done in the dark, and no amendments that escaped public scrutiny.”
According to the senators, all changes to the General Appropriations Bill proposed by both chambers were “discussed on record, with paper trails that auditors, civil society and the media can check.”