SENATE President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III assured the public on Saturday, December 6, that the Senate will not allow any last-minute insertions into the proposed 2026 national budget.
In an interview, Sotto confirmed that the budget is scheduled for approval on its third and final reading on Tuesday, following its passage on second reading last Thursday.
“No one can add or insert anything anymore. I will not allow it,” Sotto stated, addressing public concerns that lawmakers might attempt to reintroduce insertions during the bicameral conference committee meetings.
He also guaranteed that no “allocable” funds remain in the proposed budget for discretionary use, except for items under “unprogrammed appropriations,” which are dependent on revenue availability.
Sotto has been a vocal critic of past budget practices where funds for programmed and unprogrammed appropriations were interchanged, particularly within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget, which he claimed amounted to “hundreds of billions.”
According to the Senate President, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate finance committee, has arranged for the bicameral conference committee to convene on December 10. The bicameral conference committee is where the Senate and House of Representatives reconcile any differences in their versions of the budget bill. Sotto’s assurance aims to ensure a transparent and responsible budget process.
