The Bicarmeral Conference Committee hearings on the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2026 will begin Saturday, Dec. 13, with more eyes expected to watch every move of the lawmaker-participants than in any other bicam in history. For the first time...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian hopes that Senator Ronald Dela Rosa will fulfill his duties in the upcoming Bicameral Conference Committee, or bicam, as it begins its deliberations on Saturday, Dec. 13. In a Zoom interview on Friday, Dec. 12, Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said...
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada withdrew as a member of the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2026 national budget. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri announced this after the Senate approved a resolution adjusting Congress’ legislative calendar to accommodate the...
The Senate on Tuesday, December 9 said it will be extending its sessions until December 23 for the passage of the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. It was Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri who announced the adjustment in the Upper Chamber’s legislative calendar, saying...
With 17 affirmative votes, no negative votes and zero abstention, the Senate on Tuesday, December 9 approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 4058, which contains the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance...
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, December 3, welcomed strong support from the country’s major private school associations during the Philippine Education Conference (PhilEd) 2025, emphasizing the crucial role of private schools in advancing nationwide education reforms. Speaking...
Educators, policymakers, and education advocates from across the country convened at the 2025 Philippine Education Conference (PhilEd 2025) on Wednesday, December 3, to discuss pressing education issues, gain insights from national and international experts, and strengthen collaboration between the...
A staggering number of Filipino students in Grades 1 to 3 are struggling to read, with only 15 percent reaching grade-level proficiency, highlighting the urgent need for rapid measures—such as more reading materials, teacher capacity building, and parental engagement—to address the growing...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson underscored on Saturday, Nov. 22, that the Senate will not allow the reenactment next year of the 2025 national budget--the same budget that had earlier been described as corrupt to the core. Lacson says this is why the Senate is adopting measures...
Government and peace stakeholders advocated for “futures thinking” and scenario-based planning to become standard tools in policymaking across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to sustain the gains from the peace process and prepare for emerging risks. This direction...
The Philippine delegation to the ongoing 11th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) received strong praise from farmer groups and advocates for asserting the country’s sovereign right to assess proposed measures in accordance with national...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, Nov. 18, rejected former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co’s allegations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered ₱100 billion in budget insertions and received a supposed ₱25-billion “commission” from the amount. During the...
