We in the Senate leadership and majority welcome the bicam approval of the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 and we call it the most transparent in recent memory because the public saw every step in full view, from committee briefings to plenary debates to the bicam itself, all on livestream and all archived for anyone who wants to follow the money.
The bicameral conference committee adjourned at 2:22 a.m. today after four days of marathon talks to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the national budget.
This is the new normal we are building in the Senate: a budget process that people can watch, read and verify in real time, with the resulting discussions and supporting materials posted so taxpayers can trace how a peso moves from proposal to final item.
Transparency here is policy, not just a catchphrase.
There were no midnight deals, no last-minute insertions done in the dark, and no amendments that escaped public scrutiny. Every adjustment was discussed on record, with paper trails that auditors, civil society, and the media can check.
Education also wins in this cycle, with the sector receiving the largest share and reaching a new high in nominal terms: P1.38 trillion representing 20% of the national budget or 4.5% of the country’s GDP. This is a clear push of learning recovery, better classrooms and stronger support for teachers.
We likewise protected funding for health, food security and jobs through clearly documented line items, realistic timelines and measurable outcomes, so programs are lean, purposeful and audit-ready from Day 1. Public funds must translate to services families actually feel.
On the DPWH budget, we chose diligence over speed. The bicam went line by line, required programs of work and complete supporting documents per project, and declined any across-the-board restoration without itemized recomputation. Yes, it took longer, but we are confident of the results: a lean, audit-ready DPWH budget with no room for padding or overpricing.
In fact, using DPWH’s updated price data for construction materials and logistics, the bicam cut project costs and freed P20.773 billion for reallocation. Of that, P16.5 billion was allocated to PhilHealth, adding to its 2026 NEP budget of P53.26 billion and restoring its full sin tax share. Another P4.25 billion went to the NDRRM Fund, strengthening its capacity to augment the resources of government agencies for immediate response and emergency operations during disasters.
To further enhance accountability, the Senate panel in the bicam recommended an online transparency dashboard for farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and National Irrigation Administration projects, tighter safeguards, citizen participatory audits and a shift from lump-sum funding to itemized project breakdowns for all projects.
The Senate leadership commends and congratulates the contingents of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the bicam for holding the line on openness and fiscal discipline. In particular, we thank Sen. Win Gatchalian, our Finance Committee chair, for steady leadership that kept the process open, data-driven and respectful of the public’s right to know.
No budget is perfect, but a budget made in daylight is stronger. We will keep this standard moving forward with livestreams, posted schedules and a bicam the public can actually watch, so confidence in the numbers grows with confidence in the process.
Maraming salamat to our colleagues, staff and stakeholders who did the hard work. Let us carry this momentum to implementation, keep the doors open to oversight, and deliver a budget that works for Filipino families on time and in full.
