MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from both chambers of Congress are targeting to wrap up the bicameral conference committee meeting on the proposed 2026 budget on Wednesday.
At present, only 11 agencies remain to be addressed by the conferees.
“Our target is to finish tomorrow. Hopefully, because the next step in the bicam is putting the budget together, and that’s the tough part — physically and computation-wise. That’s why Rep. Mika (Suansing) and I were discussing the schedule earlier, because we want to transmit this to Malacañang with enough time before the New Year, since there is a New Year cut-off,” said Gatchalian in an ambush interview early Wednesday.
While he insisted there is enough time to tackle the budget, the senator noted that some lawmakers are set to take a vacation with their families during the holidays, which could pose a challenge to the budget’s eventual ratification.