House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing has guaranteed full transparency once the Bicameral Conference Committee begins its deliberations on the 2026 national budget later this month.

Suansing, speaking in a chance interview with House of Representatives reporters Wednesday, Nov. 26, says she is eyeing the start of bicam hearings with the Senate on the second week of December.

"Probably we’ll do the bicameral [hearings] a week after [the Senate approves national budget on third and final reading]. Week of Dec. 8 yun ang target for the bicam (We're targeting the week of Dec. 8 for the bicam)," Suansing said.

This means that the high-stakes proceedings will be held amid resigned Ako-Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co's claims of P100-billion anomalous project insertions in the current 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget.

The anomaly comes with Co's allegation that President Marcos--the supposed proponent of the insertions--received P25 billion as "standard operating procedure (SOP)" or kickback from the insertion, which he said took place in the bicam hearings last year.

But Suansing says the bicam hearings on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB)--the precursor to the GAA--is expected to be livestreamed, like the recent budget process in the House.

"Nagsimula na pong mag-coordinate ang Kongreso at Senado patungkol po doon sa rules ng bicam. I believe hindi na kailangan ng resolution to actualize that. Nandun na siya sa binubuo naming rules," the appropriations panel chief said about the planned livestreaming.

(The House and the Senate have already begun coordinating regarding the rules of the bicam. I believe there is no need for a resolution to actualize that. It is already included in the rules we are drafting.)

"Noong amin pong ipinasa yung HGAB (House version of the GAB) sinabi ko po yan, nakita niyo po yan. Lahat po ng deliberasyon ng BARSc (Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee) patungkol sa mga amyenda bukas po yan, naka-livestream yan, almost 20 hours po yan," she said.

(When we passed the HGAB , I said that, you saw that. All the deliberations of the BARSc regarding the amendments were open, they were livestreamed, almost 20 hours in total.)

"Sa parte po ng Kongreso masasabi ko, and I can vouch for it wala pong insertions, wala pong mga nakatago na ipinasok. Malinaw po yan. Ipinakita po namin yan kung paano po dininig at kung paano po prinocess yung mga institutional amendments," Suansing underscored.

(On the part of the House, I can say, and I can vouch for it that there were no insertions, no hidden provisions that were inserted. That is clear. We showed how the institutional amendments were heard and how they were processed.)

The House passed the P6.793-trillion GAB--the biggest in the country’s history--on third and final reading last Oct. 13.

The purpose of the bicam hearings is to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the GAB. Co is a former appropriations panel chairman.

Regarding budget transparency, Suansing further said: "Binibigyan ko rin po ng assurance ang ating mga kababayan na hanggang sa bicam, sisiguraduhin po natin yan kasi nga po bukas na, naka-livestream na rin po yung bicam."

(I also give assurance to our fellow citizens that up to the bicam, we will make sure of that, because the bicam is already open and livestreamed.)

"Tulad po ng ginawa namin dito sa House, ganun din po yung nakikita natin na mangyayari, na ipapakita po natin kung meron mang mga disagreeing provisions kung ano po yung pagkakasunduan ng Kongreso at Senado patungkol doon sa mga disagreeing provisions," the solon from Nueva Ecija said.

(Just as we did here in the House, we also see the same happening, that we will show, if there are disagreeing provisions, what Congress and the Senate agree upon regarding those disagreeing provisions.)

"Wala na ring flood control [funds] so definitely kung yung sinasabi na insertion ay food control wala na po yun doon sa ipinasa nating version ng budget (There are also no more flood control funds, so definitely, if what is being referred to as an insertion is flood control, that is no longer in the version of the budget we passed)," she added, referring to President Marcos' earlier directive of realigning the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) P255.528-billion flood control allocation in the 2026 outlay.