Rappler
Last-minute appeals from gov’t agencies plague bicam
Senator Loren Legarda criticized government agencies for submitting last-minute budget requests and project insertions during bicameral conference committee deliberations for the 2026 budget.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) requested an additional P3.66 billion for an automated fare collection system and the LRT-1 Cavite Extension common station.
DOTr proposed to fund these requests by reallocating funds from the Metro Manila Subway Project Phase I and the North-South Commuter Railway System, which were not part of the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
This move was met with criticism from senators, particularly Senator Legarda, who emphasized that major projects should be included in the NEP and proposed changes raised during earlier budget deliberations.
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Deliberations on the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 are delayed due to a deadlock over the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.
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The House of Representatives and the Senate began reconciling their differing versions of the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 on December 13.
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Senators flagged approximately P8.9 billion worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects that were allegedly "swapped" two days after the bicameral conference committee (Bicam) had already approved the Department of Agriculture's (DA) proposed 2026 budget.
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The bicameral conference committee approved a P3.6 billion budget realignment for the LRT-1 Cavite extension's common station and the automated fare collection system.
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Lawmakers concluded the first-ever open-door bicameral conference committee meeting for the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 on Thursday, December 18, after four days of intensive deliberations.
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