Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Monday, December 29, 2025. Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer — your Trusted Building Partner. READ: Congress set to ratify 2026 budget Monday LAWMAKERS on Sunday signed the bicameral conference committee report on the reconciled P6.7 trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill, setting the stage for its ratification and submission to the Palace in a one-day extended session on Monday. The Palace earlier said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign the budget bill into law in the first week of January 2026. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said human development was the “overall direction” of the 2026 budget as lawmakers funded education, health, and agriculture more. Gatchalian, head of the Senate contingent to the bicam, said the reconciled version of the budget “will be uploaded to the portals of the Senate and House of Representatives for transparency.” He said the enrolled bill contains 4,300 pages and was proofread five times. READ: Public urged to keep watch over how national budget is spent SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson over the weekend urged the public to guard how the executive branch spends the P6.7 trillion 2026 national budget. The Senate and House of Representatives are set to ratify today the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 budget bill, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign into law in the first week of January 2026. Lacson, in a radio interview on Saturday, said public vigilance on the 2026 budget must not stop at its approval and signing into law but must continue through its implementation. He said that while religious and civil society groups monitored the bicameral debates on the crafting of the budget bill, their next challenge is to guard how the executive branch spends taxpayers’ money in 2026. READ: ICI resignations highlight need for permanent body, Lacson says SEN. Panfilo Lacson said the resignation of Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Commissioner Rossana Fajardo emphasized the need to pass a measure creating an Independent People’s Commission (IPC). The Senate president pro tempore on Saturday said the proposed IPC will institutionalize the ICI, tasked to investigate alleged anomalies in infrastructure projects. Fajardo on Friday resigned, effective Dec. 31, saying she had completed the work she set out to accomplish when she was appointed. READ: Chinese naval assistance not a sovereignty violation – expert THE recent assistance given by a Chinese naval vessel to a Filipino fisherman off Zambales does not constitute a violation of Philippine sovereignty, according to international law expert Dr. Melissa Loja. In an interview with The Manila Times on Sunday, Loja, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen, said the obligation to conduct search and rescue at sea predates the law of the sea itself and is rooted in centuries-old custom. While modern conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) formalize this obligation, she said politicizing humanitarian efforts undermines the very foundation of maritime law. She noted that freedom of navigation is equally ancient and foundational, superseding the sovereign or economic rights of coastal states in the EEZ. BUSINESS: Climate shocks could continue to weigh on PH growth, inflation CLIMATE-RELATED disasters are already imposing measurable costs on the Philippine economy and are expected to become a much bigger drag on growth and inflation over the long term, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In its 2025 Article IV Consultation Staff Report, the IMF said typhoons remain the most frequent natural disasters in the country and are causing recurring economic losses estimated at around 0.2 to 0.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) each year. These losses are felt most strongly in agriculture, which is highly exposed to weather disruptions, and they also add pressure on inflation, particularly food prices. The IMF said these effects are already reflected in its baseline economic projections for the Philippines. SPORTS: Rain or Shine, Meralco clash in a do-or-die HUMILIATED the last time out, third seed Rain or Shine tries to get the job done on Monday when it battles Meralco in a no-tomorrow PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinal knockout game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. The Elasto Painters, seeded third in the playoffs, saw their twice-to-beat advantage vanish after getting their behinds kicked by the Bolts, 96-79, on Saturday. Rain or Shine shot a dismal 33 percent from the floor and converted just four of their 33 attempts from the three-point zone. READ: Opinion and editorial Fr. Ranhilio C. Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today’s front page columnists. In his column Fr. Aquino talks about the family in his column while Tatad talks about AI wiping out the working class. Today’s editorial says the sham election won’t give Myanmar junta legitimacy. 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