MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the reconciled P6.7 trillion 2026 general appropriations bill (GAB), a step away from becoming a law.
The Senate held an extended one-day session for its ratification. The 4,300-page enrolled bill will be submitted to Malacañang for review.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the bicameral panel was “very deliberate in ensuring that equal attention was given to protecting the management of public funds — through safeguards that are anchored on transparency and accountability.”
“This was evident from start to finish. All five days of the bicameral conference were live streamed. And the discussions are open to anyone who wants to view them,” he said.
“Transparency portals contain all budget documents. Another first is involving civil society organizations. This strengthens public oversight,” he added.
