Manila: Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said the Senate remains on course to pass House Bill No. 4058, or the 2026 General Appropriations Act, despite working under a compressed timetable following last weekend's fire incident at the Senate building.
According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian, who chairs the Finance panel, outlined the chamber's target timeline in a virtual press briefing. He emphasized that each stage has been spaced to allow senators ample time to study amendments, a shift from previous years when amendments and approvals were rushed within the same day.
Under the schedule, the period of amendments for the proposed 2026 national budget is set for Tuesday (Dec. 2), followed by second reading on Wednesday (Dec. 3) and third reading on Tuesday (Dec. 9). The Senate will then have one week to finalize the documents before the bicameral conference committee.
The bicameral meetings are scheduled for Dec. 11, 12, and 13, which Gatchalian said would be livestreamed to ensure continued transparency. He noted that the target signing of the bicameral conference committee report is on Dec. 16, followed by ratification on Dec. 17, the last session day for the year. The proposed spending plan is expected to be signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Dec. 29.
Gatchalian remarked, "So far, nangyayari naman ang transparency (So far, transparency is being observed)," highlighting that the new pacing allows senators to thoroughly review proposed changes. He compared it to the previous process where amendments, second reading, and third reading were all conducted in one day, leaving members with no time to read the amendments.
When asked about the impact of Sunday's fire and subsequent water leakage into the Session Hall, Gatchalian said he requested his colleagues to hold a session on Tuesday despite the Pasay City holiday to avoid delays. He stated, "Actually, pinakiusapan ko na kanina 'yung mga kasamahan natin na mag-session tayo bukas kahit na holiday kasi kung magse-session tayo ng Wednesday for period of amendments, talagang made-delay 'yun, siguradong made-delay na 'yun. So okay naman' yung mga members na pumasok tomorrow kahit na holiday (Actually, I already asked our colleagues earlier to hold a session tomorrow even if it's a holiday, because if we wait until Wednesday for the period of amendments, it will really cause a delay - it will definitely be delayed. The members are fine with reporting for session tomorrow even if it's a holiday)."
