Imee Marcos formally asks changes in bicam talks on nat'l budget

Senator Imee Marcos has officially asked Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero to introduce changes in the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the bill containing the national budget.

Marcos sent a letter to Escudero proposing the following to be observed during the bicameral conference committee meeting:

• All vice-chairpersons of the sub-committee on Finance be elected as member of the Bicameral Committee to participate in the discussion of the proposed amendments
• There should be discussion/coordination with counterpart members of the House of Representatives (HOR) prior to actual committee meetings (pre-bicam meetings)
• The Committee on Finance to inform/discuss with the vice-chairpersons the proposed amendments to the budgets of departments/agencies under their coverage
• To the extent that such discussion is practicable, all major Bicam amendments to the GAB (General Appropriations Bill) shall be discussed openly among the members.

The letter was received by the offices of Escudero and Senate Finance Committee chairperson Grace Poe on November 5.

A bicameral conference committee is being held to reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the House and the Senate's version of all bills.

In October, Marcos disclosed her plan to write Escudero and Poe to ask for a more "transparent" bicam deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion budget for 2025 to avoid "insertions" from lawmakers.

Marcos, a vice-chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, decried that there were no discussions between the lawmakers from the House and the Senate during the bicam meetings on the bills containing the national budget in the previous years.

The bicam meetings before, she said, had become a venue for "picture taking."

She cited as examples of the supposed insertions during last year's bicam meeting for the 2024 national budget bill were the P12 billion alleged insertions in the 2024 budget of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), as well as the P26 billion funds for Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program or AKAP under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The bill on the 2025 national budget is currently under the period of amendments in the Senate.

Once the Senate approves on third and final reading the General Appropriations Bill, the bicam will be convened to reconcile the disagreeing provisions on the House and Senate's version.

After the bicam finishes its deliberations, the final version of the budget bill will be ratified by both chambers and will be sent to the President for either his approval or veto. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News