Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, December 16 floated the possibility of the government working on a reenacted 2026 national budget. Lacson stressed this amid another issue that surfaced, this time involving farm-to-market road (FMR) projects that were not...
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, December 16 called on the Senate contingent to consider allocating around P15-billion to local government unit (LGU) hospitals so they properly implement the zero balance billing (ZBB) program. This P15-billion will come from the P51-billion fund approved by...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson reiterated his push for clear and foolproof safeguards in the P6.793-trillion proposed budget for 2026 to prevent abuse and political patronage, especially in at least three contentious issues. In particular, Lacson said there must be no political...
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada questioned the sudden appearance of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon at the bicameral conference committee meeting tackling the 2026 national budget, saying it is “unprecedented." “For me that was an unprecedented move by the...
The third day of bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget was suspended on Monday, Dec. 15, amid a deadlock over the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) budget. Senate Finance Committee Chair Sherwin Gatchalian said the...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said that the media and the public must stay vigilant to prevent manipulations in the budget bill, especially now that the proceedings in the bicameral conference committee are being livestreamed. In an interview on Sunday, Dec. 14, Lacson said...
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Monday, December 15 appealed to members of the Senate and House of Representatives to reconsider the decision on medical assisistance funds under the proposed 2026 national budget. Ejercito, who couldn’t attend the bicameral conference committee as a...
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon on Sunday, December 14 has urged Congress to restore the funds that were slashed from its budget for next year, making senators skeptical of the agency’s sudden request. Dizon was present during the second day of the bicameral...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson warned on Sunday, December 14, that restoring the items cut from the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at the bicameral conference committee level will reopen the floodgates to insertion. Lacson made this...
As lawmakers start threshing out the differing provisions in their version of the 2026 national budget, senators zeroed in on the questionable budget increase for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) and farm-to-market roads (FMR). Senate President Pro...
Senator Imee Marcos on Saturday, Dec. 13 flagged the sharp increase in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) classroom construction budget, despite the agency’s rather lackluster 23 percent absorption rate. During Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations on the proposed 2026 national...
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has asked the Senate to reconsider 2026 budget reductions, citing the need to apply updated construction cost data to ensure accurate project costing and proper execution. DPWH said the request focuses on securing authority to implement...
