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...
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 raised concerns over the supposed absence of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget during the first day of the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings on the proposed 2026 national budget on Saturday, Dec. 13. During the proceedings, Marcos appeared puzzled...
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...
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...
