Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, including three other senators were absent on the first day of the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings on the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2026 on Saturday, Dec. 13.

A day prior, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed hope that Dela Rosa would fulfill his duties and attend the bicam deliberations. 

Dela Rosa--as vice chairperson of the panel--automatically became part of the Senate contingent to the bicam, which also involved House of Representatives members.

For the first time, every bit of the bicam will be livestreamed, thus giving the public the unprecedented opportunity to see how lawmakers reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the GAB as the bicam works to finalize the government’s spending plan for next year.

Aside from Dela Rosa, Senators Pia Cayetano, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, and Camille Villar were also absent during the first day as of 3 p.m.

Present among the Senate contingent were Gatchalian, as well as Senators Loren Legarda, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo from the majority bloc; and Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Imee Marcos from the minority bloc.

In his opening statement, Gatchalian said that the meeting sought to operationalize a procedure governing the initiation and passage of all appropriation bills pursuant to Article VI, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution.

"It is my deepest hope and prayer that through us, your conferees, each chamber will be able to fulfill its constitutional role," he said.

"Hindi lamang upang mapanatili ang integridad ng sistema ng lehislatura. Kundi upang matiyak na sa pambansang badyet na ito, ang kalooban at kapangyarihan ng sambayanang Pilipino ang mananaig (Not only to uphold the integrity of the legislative system, but to ensure that in this national budget, the will and power of the Filipino people prevail)," he added.