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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Bahala na si bicam': Nazal hopes 2026 national budget can still be fixed

'Bahala na si bicam': Nazal hopes 2026 national budget can still be fixed

Published Oct 15, 2025 04:27 pm

At A Glance

  • Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal is leaving it up to the Bicameral Conference Committee to incorporate what he believes are the necessary changes to the House-approved 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal (Facebook)
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal (Facebook)


Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal is leaving it up to the Bicameral Conference Committee to incorporate what he believes are the necessary changes to the House-approved 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
This, after the minority congressman voted "yes" to the passage of the proposed P6.793-trillion outlay, but with "strong reservations".
“Mr. Speaker, this representation votes 'yes' to the 2026 [GAB] but with strong reservations on several key issues that must be addressed in the Bicameral Conference Committee,” said Nazal, an assistant minority leader, during nominal voting on the budget measure last Monday, Oct. 13.
He specifically mentioned the immediate release of the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF), the abolition of unprogrammed appropriations (UA), and stronger safeguards for the country’s data sovereignty.
Nazal said the HEDF must be immediately released to and managed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) in accordance with Section 11 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722--the law creating CHEd, also known as the Higher Education Act of 1994.
The fund remains withheld by the Bureau of the Treasury under Executive Order (EO) No. 338, a 2004 issuance that centralized the management of special accounts in the Treasury.
“The continued retention of this fund by the Bureau of the Treasury under EO No. 338 has no legal basis, as no executive issuance can amend or supersede a statute,” Nazal said.
Nazal also pushed to expand the network of Migrant Workers Offices under the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to bring government protection closer to overseas Filipinos.
He likewise urged Congress to empower the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to establish government-owned data centers and strengthen digital infrastructure.
“Today, over 90 percent of government data is hosted in Singapore, a situation that raises serious concerns over data sovereignty and national security,” he warned.
Reiterating his long-standing position, Nazal--like many of his minority bloc colleagues--urged the House to abolish UA, which, he said, “have long served as discretionary lump sums that undermine fiscal discipline and congressional oversight".
The House of Representatives approved the P6.793-trillion budget measure on third and final reading last Monday, Oct. 13 via vote of 287-12-2 (yes-no-abstain).
It's now the Senate's task to also pass the GAB on third and final reading, afterwhich the bicam--composed of selected House members and senators--would convene to harmonize the two versions of the budget bill.
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