Senate eyes Dec 14-15 budget finalization

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III aims to finalize the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2026 national budget by December 14 or 15.

The bicameral committee meeting was rescheduled to December 13, 2025, from December 12, to give technical staff more time to reconcile conflicting provisions and amounts in the budget documents.

Senate staff are ensuring livestreaming equipment and logistical issues are sorted for the meeting, which will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay.

Sotto stressed that they will not allow insertions or new individual amendments that were not previously discussed by either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered that the bicameral conference committee meeting will be open to the public.

The Senate has extended its session until December 23 to allow ample time for printing the enrolled copy of the budget, which is expected by December 22.

Sotto highlighted that ratifying the enrolled copy is a new measure to promote transparency in the budget process.