Win Gatchalian: Senate working on tight schedule for passage of 2026 budget

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Monday the Senate remains on track so far to pass the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), despite admitting apprehensions due to a “very tight” work timeline. 

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said that the bicameral meetings between members of the Senate and the House of Representatives would only tentatively last for three days as the signing of the 2026 GAA by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is targeted on December 29, 2025. 

Here is the tentative calendar for the passage of the 2026 national budget:

• December 2: Period of amendments
• December 3: Approval in second reading
• December 9: Approval in third reading
• December 11-13: Bicameral conference committee meetings
• December 16: Signing of the bicameral conference committee report
• December 17: Ratification of the bicameral conference committee report and last day of session
• December 29: Signing of the budget by the President

Asked if he could give assurance that the 2026 GAA would reach Malacañang before the year ends, Gatchalian said, “Well, very tight to be honest about it.”

“Meron rin akong fear [na ma-reenact]. Kasi nga, if you look at the timeline, ang ratification, December 17. So, ibig sabihin, mag-overtime sila para ma-enroll ‘yung copy. If you look at the signing in Malacañang, December 29. So, that's two days before the New Year,” he explained.

(I also have a fear of the budget being reenacted. Because, if you look at the timeline, the ratification is on December 17. So, that means we will work overtime to enroll the copy. If you look at the signing in Malacañang, it’s on December 29. So, that's two days before the New Year.) 

“So, medyo tight siya. Medyo tight. So, everyone should really work overtime. Actually, even kahapon, nag-trabaho kami para matapos ‘yun. And then today, magta-trabaho rin kami para matapos,” he added. 

(So, it’s a bit tight. So, everyone should really work overtime. Actually, we worked yesterday and even today to finish everything.) 

The finance panel chairman also stressed that this year, senators will be given ample time to study the amendments in the budget. 

“Just to compare it kasi before, ang process is amendment [and then] second and third reading all in one day. So walang time ‘yung members na basahin ‘yung mga amendments. So ngayon, we will give time to the members to read the amendments,” Gatchalian said.

(Just to compare it because before, the process is after amendment, the second and third reading would be done all in one day. So the members didn’t have time to read the amendments. So now, we will give time to the members to read the amendments.) 

Senate fire

Gatchalian also admitted that the cancellation of the plenary session on Monday, following the fire that hit the Senate building on Sunday morning, affected their budget schedule.

As a compromise, he said he asked his colleagues to resume the session on Tuesday despite the Pasay City holiday. 

He also assured that no budget-related documents were affected in the fire. 

“Hindi naman na-affect yung [Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring] office. Kasi nandoon lahat din ‘yung nucleus ng budget process and deliberations and documents natin. So wala naman. Kahapon kasama ko sila, wala naman. Hindi naman naapektuhan. Tsaka halos lahat ng kanilang documents is also in the cloud. So kahit na mabasa, they can still function,” Gatchalian said. 

(The LBRMO was not affected. The nucleus of our budget process and deliberations and documents are all there, but nothing happened to it. Yesterday I was with the staff. Nothing was affected. Besides, almost all their documents are also in the cloud, so even if they get wet, they can still function.) 

The fire that broke out in the Senate building on Sunday reportedly started at a commercial area on the third floor. It was put out after two hours after reaching the second alarm.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said that important documents, including those of the Blue Ribbon Committee “remain intact, safe, and completely unaffected by the fire.”  — RSJ, GMA Integrated News