Senator Win Gatchalian has vowed to block any “alien” items from being inserted into the proposed 2026 national budget when it undergoes scrutiny at the bicameral conference committee — the final step before the spending measure is transmitted to the President for approval.
“‘Yan yung aming pag-iingatan moving forward, lalo na sa bicam conference. Hindi na tayo papayag sa mga alien projects, meaning projects na wala sa original proposal o ‘yung bigla na lang pumapasok sa bicam,” said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.
“Unang una, hindi namin napag-usapan ‘yan at pangalawa, masisira ang buong budget process,” he added, stressing that transparency and consistency between the House and Senate versions must be preserved.
Gatchalian reaffirmed his position after Senator Ping Lacson revealed that some officials in the executive branch had allegedly misrepresented the President, enabling the insertion of ₱100 billion worth of allocations during last year’s bicameral conference.
“That’s why I laud your effort na maging transparent hanggang sa bicam. Wala nang ‘alien’ items na papasok outside of the House and Senate versions,” Lacson told Gatchalian, praising the Senate finance chief for pushing toward what he described as potentially the most transparent and corruption-free national budget ever crafted. (LB)
