(UPDATE) BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the reconciled P6.793 trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), a step away from becoming a law. The Senate held an extended one-day session for its ratification. The 4,300-page enrolled bill will be submitted to Malacañang for review. Senators Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, and Francis Pangilinan voted “yes” to the ratification, but they expressed reservations over the huge funding for medical and health assistance programs and unprogrammed appropriations amid concerns these would be used for politicking. Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Robinhood Padilla voted “no” to its ratification. Marcoleta opposed the continued funding of “ayuda” (assistance) programs for the poor since these promote political patronage. Padilla complained about the lack of funds for Indigenous communities. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the country is now one step closer to the enactment of landmark “people-first” budget legislation. “The current budget measure, once signed by the president, would be a definitive turning point in terms of fiscal policy, providing focus on human capital development and institutional integrity,” he said. He said the proposed budget law was designed to address the most pressing needs of the country while ensuring that safeguards are in place to deter the misuse of public funds. Following the ratification by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill will be transmitted to the Office of the President for approval. Gatchalian said the 2026 GAB provides the highest investment in education in the country’s history and further strengthens the health care sector, particularly the government’s zero-balance billing program, bolstered by the return of funds to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. The measure also seeks to improve the country’s food security by allocating a higher budget to the agriculture sector. “By prioritizing education, expanding health care access, and supporting farm productivity, we are investing in a more inclusive economic development,” he added. Gatchalian said the bicameral conference committee was “very deliberate in ensuring that equal attention was given to protecting the management of public funds — through safeguards that are anchored on transparency and accountability.” “This was evident from start to finish. All five days of the bicameral conference were live streamed. And the discussions are open to anyone who wants to view them,” he said. “Transparency portals contain all budget documents. Another first is involving civil society organizations. This strengthens public oversight,” added Gatchalian, head of the Senate contingent to the Bicam that hammered out the reconciled budget. In the House’s plenary session Monday, lawmakers ratified the conference committee report on the bill through a voice vote. “The move, along with the Senate ratification of the same document, paves the way for the formal transmission of the said measure to the President for his review and approval,” the House said in a statement on Monday. The House ratified the budget after lawmakers signed on Sunday the report of the bicameral conference committee formed to finalize the 2026 national budget bill.