The House of Representatives has reaffirmed its commitment to an open bicameral process on the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2026.

This, after the chamber adopted during plenary session Wednesday night, Dec. 10 House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) No.8, which provided for the livestreaming of the upcoming Bicameral Conference Committee hearings on the GAB.

House Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III (Isabela, 6th district), Majority Leader Sandro Marcos (Ilocos Norte, 1st district), Minority Leader Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan (4Ps Party-list), and Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing (Nueva Ecija, 1st district) jointly authored the measure.

HCR No.8's title reads, "Concurrent resolution upholding fidelity to the 1987 Constitution relative to the duties and responsibilities of the conference committee on the General Appropriations Bill to ensure transparency and accountability in the enactment of the national budget."

Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega, the presiding officer at that time, declared the measure as adopted after a simple voice vote (ayes vs. nayes).

The bicam hearings between the House of Representatives and the Senate on the 2026 outlay will begin Friday, Dec. 12.

It was back in June when the first House Speaker of the 20th Congress, Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez, pitched opening the bicam to the public. This position was adopted by his successor, Dy, who took over as Speaker last September.

"The allegations of irregularities in the conference committee deliberations on the [GAB] presented an opportunity for further strengthening adherence to the constitutional precepts of accountability and transparency in public governance," HCR No.8 read.

It provides that "All conference committee deliberations on the GAB shall be open to the public, conducted in person or through digital livestreaming."

"The conference committee on the GAB shall present the reconciled amounts as agreed upon by the members. This will be made available to the public," the measure read.

"The conference committee on the GAB shall produce minutes of the meeting/s which will also be open to the public," it further stated.

The measure said that continuing thw refinement of the budgetary processes was "essential to ensuring that public resources are allocated in a manner that promotes quality and accessible education, equitable access to food security, adequate housing, timely healtheare, and robust responses to the climate emergeney, thereby supporting national progress and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals".