President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced plans to open the bicameral conference committee (bicam) deliberations on the 2026 national budget to the public, a significant shift aimed at promoting transparency in the legislative process.
President Marcos said he has secured the agreement from both Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III and the House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy to broadcast the bicam sessions in full, eliminating the longstanding practice of off-camera small committee meetings, where last-minute insertions or amendments are often made.
“To further encourage transparency, I intend to livestream the Bicam. So, that’s what I told them already,” President Marcos said. “We will live stream the entire process,” he added.
He said this is for the awareness of every concerned stakeholder in case there are budget insertions or further amendments.
The bicameral conference committee is tasked with reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget.
While technically a public hearing, bicam proceedings have rarely been made accessible to the public in real time.
“The bicam is actually a public hearing, but that has not always been followed. Now, it will all be out in the open,” according to the president.
President Marcos emphasized that greater transparency is essential to maintaining public trust in how government funds are allocated.
He also reiterated that, based on the House-approved version he reviewed, he has not seen any projects or provisions that deviate from his administration’s socioeconomic priorities. However, he said he will closely monitor the final stages of deliberations.
The 2026 national budget worth P6.793 trillion will undergo final scrutiny in the bicam before being sent to Malacañang for approval.
Despite his earlier remark that he would veto any budget misaligned with national plans, President Marcos expressed confidence that such action may no longer be necessary.
“From what I have seen so far, the budget remains consistent with our national development plan,” he said.
The livestream initiative, if enforced, would mark the first time bicameral budget negotiations are made fully public in real time.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran affirmed that this move marks an unprecedented step in budget deliberations.
“As far as we know, this is the first time in history,” Libiran said.
“Usually, bicam proceedings are held by Congress behind closed doors. The executive is not part of it. So, we fully support that it will be livestreamed now,” she added.
Libiran noted that neither the DBM nor the Executive Branch has ever participated in bicam sessions, nor have such deliberations been broadcast publicly.
“It’s a great milestone. It is fully aligned with the President’s call for transparency through an open government,” she stated.
