The opening bell for the 2026 national budget showdown is sounding later than planned. Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed Thursday that the bicameral conference committee has moved its first round to December 13, giving technical teams from both chambers extra time to clean up and align the mountain of budget details before negotiations formally begin.
Originally set for Friday, the bicam was postponed after Senate and House staff admitted they needed one more day to finalize the comprehensive budget matrix—this year far thicker and more complex than usual. Sotto said the delay is necessary to reconcile clashing entries and ensure both sides walk into the talks with every peso, project, and annex clearly laid out. “Transparency is key,” he stressed, noting the Senate wants all technical details exposed and available for scrutiny.
Gatchalian, who leads the Senate finance committee, explained that this year’s spending bill is unusually meticulous. Disaggregated project listings and full technical descriptions mean the reconciliation work is more granular, more detailed, and more time-consuming. Aligning the Senate and House versions of House Bill 4058, he said, simply requires the technical teams to “go the extra round.”
When the bicameral conference finally convenes on Saturday at the Philippine International Convention Center, both chambers will enter Round 1 armed with thick binders, sharpened pencils, and a long list of budget differences to settle—setting the stage for one of the most detailed budget negotiations in recent years.
Screenshot from RTVM