UPDATE: Deliberasyon ng bicameral conference committee ngayong Lunes, Dec. 15, tungkol sa 2026 national budget, postponed muna dahil sa 'deadlock'

Ayon kay Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, kailangang maresolba muna ang issue sa pagitan ng House of Representatives at Dept. of Public… pic.twitter.com/Yv6Zi50soY — DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) December 15, 2025

The bicameral conference committee (Bicam) deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget were postponed on Monday after a deadlock emerged over the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Senate Committee on Finance Chair Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian announced.

Gatchalian said the extended Bicam meeting scheduled for Monday was canceled to give both chambers of Congress time to address unresolved issues, particularly the Senate’s objections to what it described as overpriced items in the DPWH budget.

The next Bicam meeting has been set for Tuesday.

“Well, we can call it deadlock on that aspect,” Gatchalian told reporters, referring to the DPWH budget. “Pero naghahanap tayo ng solusyon. Ako, committed ako maghanap ng solusyon. Sabi ko nga, makikipag-trabaho ako with the DPWH para makita natin kung ano yung...dahil to move forward. Gusto natin ay umusad. So, I'm open to working with the House and with the DPWH on that aspect.”

According to the senator, the Senate remains firm in its position against approving projects it believes are overpriced, stressing that fiscal discipline and value for taxpayers’ money remain priorities in the budget process.

“Ang Senado, very firm, na ayaw namin ng overpriced items,” Gatchalian said.

At the same time, he acknowledged concerns that certain infrastructure projects might face implementation problems if issues are not resolved, including the possibility that projects could be delayed, shortened, or left incomplete.

“We also recognize na baka hindi ma-implement 'yung project, o baka 'yung project umiksi, 'di makumpleto, 'yun ang kailangang pag-aralan,” he added.

The postponement was intended to allow further discussions between the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the DPWH to break the impasse before formal Bicam deliberations resume.

Gatchalian also clarified that the participation of DPWH officials in Bicam meetings, including DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, is allowed only on a limited and case-by-case basis, as resource persons, and not as regular participants in the negotiations.