The bicameral conference committee on Sunday, December 28 approved and adopted the report reconciling disagreeing provisions of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), setting the ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.
Lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives signed the report at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) after marathon deliberations.
House Committee on Appropriations chair Mika Suansing described the budget as “people-centered,” highlighting transparency and accountability.
“What we want to call this budget is a people-centered budget. In terms of the process, we made sure it was transparent and accountable to the Filipino people, and in terms of the content, we focused on human capital development,” she said.
“We worked hard to make sure that the disagreeing provisions were discussed, leaving no stone unturned. We also wanted the public to see exactly how every peso of taxpayers’ money is allocated,” Suansing added.
Senate Committee on Finance chair Win Gatchalian thanked lawmakers for their cooperation.
“Lahat po ay nagtulong-tulong, nagsunog ng kilay para po matapos itong ating pambansang budget,” he said, noting significant allocations for education, health, and agriculture.
“Makikita natin na malaki po ang pondong inilagay natin sa edukasyon, kalusugan, at sa agrikultura. Dahil naniniwala kami na ang tatlong sektor na ito ay mahalaga sa pagpapaunlad ng atin pong ekonomiya,” Gatchalian added.
Bicameral deliberations ran from December 13 to 18 and were livestreamed for the first time, following inquiries into questionable insertions at the bicam level, including alleged anomalous flood control projects.
The reconciled report will be ratified by both chambers on December 29 and transmitted to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for signing.
“This reconciled version will be uploaded. Once it is ratified tomorrow, it will be immediately posted on the transparency portals,” Gatchalian said.
Marcos is expected to sign the GAB in the first week of January, according to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.