Amid the postponement of the bicameral conference committee (Bicam) proceedings on Monday, December 15, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing said she does not characterize the issue on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget as a deadlock.
“I would not characterize this as a deadlock. Mismong si Senator Win Gatchalian na po yung nagsabi na ito po kasi ay may ongoing discussions lang. May mga bagay lang po sana na gusto nating isangguni sa DPWH, kay Sec. Vince, dahil kahapon naman po nakita natin, pare-pareho po yung palagay ng Kongreso ng Senado, at ng DPWH,” Suansing said during a press conference at the PICC on Monday, December 15.
According to her, they recognize that there are overpriced items initially estimated by the DPWH, adding, “lahat din po meron din pong paninindigan na gusto nating tanggalin yung overpriced na bahagi na nakapaloob doon sa mga estimates ng mga proyekto.”
The lawmaker also clarified that both the Congress and Senate are aligned when it comes to removing the overpriced portion of the estimated projects of the said agency.
Before this, Suansing said they are working on resolving the issue, adding that they will confer with the DPWH.
“Definitely, hindi siya deadlock na unresolvable, we are working on it to make sure that we’re able to pass the budget on time,” she emphasized.
Despite this, Suansing assured that she is still “very confident,” stating that as much as possible, they want to make sure that the 2026 national budget is not re-enacted. Suansing assured that they will work doubly hard between now and December 22.
The goal, she said, is to prevent the national budget’s enactment from crossing into the next calendar year.
“If we’re able to resume the bicam proceedings as soon as possible, that would be best. That would be the ideal case, at ‘yun po siguro yung iaapela ko sa kanila,” she said.
Earlier today, Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian announced the postponement of the Bicam deliberations after a deadlock emerged over the DPWH. The senator explained that this is to give both chambers of Congress time to address unresolved issues, particularly the overpriced items within the DPWH budget.
