In a bid for transparency, Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III wants all budget deliberations to be accessible to the public through livestreaming. Sotto had this to say he expressed full support for Concurrent Joint Resolution No. 4, filed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Backed...
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Wednesday, Aug. 13, pushed anew to make public the proponents of all amendments - including insertions - in the budget process. Lacson, an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget, said this will make the proponents answerable for flood control and other...
President Marcos has submitted to Congress a proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, saying it marks a deliberate shift from infrastructure-heavy investments to greater funding for the country’s human capital. In his budget message, the President said that while the administration...
Three days were added to the legislative calendar of the first regular session of the 20th Congress to accommodate the timely transmittal, deliberation, and approval of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). This was made through the adoption on Tuesday, Aug. 12, of Senate Concurrent...
President Marcos has received the copy of the proposed national budget for next year, amounting to P6.793 trillion. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman officially turned over the Fiscal Year 2026 National Expenditure Program to Marcos on Tuesday, Aug. 12, in a...
The Senate is unanimously supporting the House of Representatives call to open bicameral conference committee meetings during the crafting of the national budget. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the Senate has unanimously signed and filed Senate...
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has vowed to work with Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to ensure transparency in the budget process as deliberations on the P6.793-trillion draws near. This, after Gatchalian, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, vowed to ensure transparency in the...
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is targeting to more than double its budget to nearly ₱200 billion in 2026 to fund the administration’s big-ticket transportation projects after last year’s massive cut. Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said he is seeking a budget of about ₱197...
In order to dispel criticisms and lingering questions, the Senate will ensure that the entire budget process would be posted on the government’s website and made available for public scrutiny. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, pointed this out saying the...
President Marcos said he is prepared to reject and even reenact the national budget if Congress insists on fund realignments that undermine his administration’s priorities. In the third episode of his podcast released on Monday evening, Aug. 4, the President warned that some reallocations have...
Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero on Monday, August 4 filed a bill seeking to disqualify public officials and their relatives, up to fourth civil degree, from entering into government contracts. In filing Senate Bill No. 783, Escudero said he is confident this will sharpen the...
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is seeking a P5 billion allocation under the proposed 2026 national budget for the implementation of a large-scale dredging and desilting program in heavily silted rivers and waterways nationwide. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the program will...
