The Bicameral Conference Committee comprising lawmakers from the House of Representatives and the Senate officially convened on Thursday to reconcile conflicting provisions of House Bill No. 10800, otherwise known as the 2025 General Appropriations Bill. The bicam is being held at the Sheraton Hotel in Pasay City. 鈥擯hoto from Noy Morcoso/黑料社
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Lawmakers deliberating on the final version of the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025 have agreed to open to the public the discussions on the yearly outlay, including the deliberation on the controversial Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap), Sen. Grace Poe said on Monday.
鈥淥ur colleagues are welcome to ask [questions] in the open,鈥� Poe, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said in a Viber message.
She added that members of the contingents of the Senate and the House of Representatives to the bicameral congressional committee have allowed the media to cover their deliberations.
Call for transparency
Civil society groups earlier called on Congress to be more transparent by opening the budget discussions to the public after the bicameral conference started its deliberations on Nov. 28.
Poe said the bicam panel has set its next meeting on Wednesday.
Besides Akap, the House鈥檚 decision to trim the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) by P1.3 billion was also among the ticklish items in next year鈥檚 spending plan of the Marcos administration.
Ticklish issue
Last month, senators approved the P733 million outlay for Vice President Sara Duterte鈥檚 office in less than 10 minutes, adopting the House version that slashed the original P2.03 billion proposal.
Duterte, however, secured a promise from her allies in the chamber, Senators Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� dela Rosa and Christopher 鈥淏ong鈥� Go, to either give additional funding to the OVP or restore its massive budget cuts during the period of amendments.
According to her, OVP personnel were hopeful that the budget would be increased to allow the office to retain employees and continue its programs.
The House leadership had allotted P39 billion to bankroll Akap next year, a move the Senate overturned by funneling the proposed allotment to finance the senior citizens鈥� retirement pension fund, college assistance program, child care assistance, and livelihood programs for farmers and fishermen.