Senators defend absence of floor debates on budget amendments

MANILA, Philippines — At least two senators defended on Wednesday the absence of public debate and deliberation at the Senate’s floor regarding amendments pitched for the 2025 national funding.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, panel on finance chairperson Sen. Grace Poe said a caucus was held prior to the approval of the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for next year.

At the caucus, thorough discussions were made about proposed amendments.

READ: P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025 reaches Senate floor

“Sometimes, the others don’t really want to reveal everything that we haven’t discussed properly. So when we get there, all of them, all of my colleagues, are free to say what’s on their minds,” said Poe.

“We reach across the aisle and we understand and we realize that there are different opinions. But we also want to put our best foot forward. When we already present something, we want to make sure that we have the consensus of our colleagues. So if there’s anything that needs to be changed or changed, we all understand,” she added later on.

In a separate press conference also on Tuesday, Sen. JV Ejercito likewise explained the absence of floor debates prior approval of the budget.

According to Ejercito, most of the senators just submitted their wish lists and proposed amendments to the committee on finance, which in return expedited the process and made it a lot more convenient.

“Most of the requests, most of the amendments submitted by the vice-chairs were accommodated by Chairman Grace. So probably, if there were any left, that was what was discussed during the caucus, so maybe there was no need anymore, there is no need to discuss on the floor because almost all the amendments that we submitted were granted by Chairman Grace,” he explained.

Now that the two chambers of Congress—the House of Representatives and Senate–have already approved the 2025 national budget, a bicameral conference committee is expected to begin shortly.

The bicameral panel will then collaborate and come up with a reconciled version of the national budget for next year.

Once reconciled, the bill will be returned in both chambers of Congress for ratification. The ratified version will then be transmitted to the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature.