Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III has expressed his support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier announcement that the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget will be livestreamed, saying that’s what he also wanted.
The bicameral process is the one in which the Senate and House of Representatives thresh out differences and arrive at a common version of the General Appropriations Act, which the president will sign to become the General Appropriations Bill. ‘That’s what we’ve wanted ever since I was elected Speaker. That’s our commitment to our people to make next year’s budget accountable and transparent,’ Dy said in a statement on Wednesday as quoted from a radio interview.
He added that this move already reflected the lower chamber’s formation of the Budget Amendment and Revision Subcommittee (BARSc).
‘That’s also why the BARSc was established; it was the first time our budget hearings became more open and transparent,’ the lawmaker said.
‘Because we also listen to the requests and concerns of our civil society groups on how we can restore the public’s trust. That’s what we really want – for our Congress to earn the people’s trust,’ he added. Marcos said his decision came after his agreement with Dy and Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III.
The President disclosed that there will no longer be a small committee. /das