Senate President Vicente Sotto III vowed to deliver what he described as the “cleanest budget yet” as the chamber works on the proposed 2026 national budget.
Sotto assured that the Senate’s version of the General Appropriations Bill will remain closely aligned with the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to avoid hidden amendments.
“There will not be any insertions after second reading. We will not allow it to happen… not during our watch,” he said.
Sotto added that the Senate will hold open bicameral conferences, which will be livestreamed to the public for the first time, to promote transparency and accountability.
According to him, the chamber plans to pass a budget lower than the P6.793-trillion proposal submitted by the administration.
If approved, it would be the first time in Philippine history that Congress will enact a national budget smaller than the executive’s NEP proposal.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the Senate finance subcommittee on public works, previously flagged potentially overpriced DPWH projects.
Gatchalian estimated that the total amount subject to removal could reach as much as P340 billion, including an alleged 20 percent overpricing across road projects.
Sotto said the Senate would approve cuts only if the agency fails to address these concerns during budget deliberations.
The Senate is expected to sponsor the 2026 budget for plenary debates by mid-November, with bicameral meetings set to begin in early December.
