For Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, Filipinos do not need to thank the House of Representatives and the Senate for deciding to make the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) hearings on the proposed 2026 national budget open to the public.

“Let us remember that we should not be thinking saying ‘thank you Cong’ or ‘thank you Sen’ These are victories of the people's noise regarding their grievances and the solutions they themselves pushed for,” Co said in Filipino.

“The lesson here is that collective action works… Only in this way will society move toward genuine change,” she added.

Co shied away from acknowledging her own actions in the crafting of the national budget, like what other lawmakers did.

She said she would rather recognize the growing and widening anger and resolve of the people as the true reason behind the politicians and agencies' efforrs to shape up.

“Indeed, there are many historical aspects to this. It's the first time the BCC meetings have been livestreamed,” she said.

The budget for education is higher; the government's debts to public universities, accumulated from 2022 to 2025, will be paid; and funding for nutrition, feeding, and mental health programs will be increased, she noted.

What needs to be done now according to Co is to monitor the livestreaming of the budget process as well as the pronouncements of the bicam members and “share what we observe, not just on social media, but with our friends, family, co-workers".

“We should not just keep to ourselves our ideas. Join and unite with people's organizations that will continue to act to shape policy for the welfare of the oppressed,” she added.