Senate extends sessions for passage of national budget

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday said it will be extending its sessions until December 23 to pave the way for the passage of the 2026 national budget.

During the Senate’s plenary sessions, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that the upper chamber would go on “extended sessions during the Christmas holidays” solely for the passage of the national funding for next year.

Zubiri himself said the Senate is hoping to ratify the budget on the week of the 22nd, particularly disclosing that they had already asked some of their colleagues to forego some of their plans with their families during the holidays.

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“For the nation. So we can pass the General Appropriations Act or national budget,” said Zubiri. 

With this, Zubiri moved that Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7 be considered, which in return was approved by Senate President Vicente Sotto III. 

“It’s a very simple amendment to our legislative calendar which basically move our adjournment of session. [It] will be on December 23 — the adjournment is until [January 25] and we resume session on January 26,” said Zubiri. 

“That’s a simple amendment to the calendar and I move that we adopt the Concurrent Resolution No. 7,” he added.

The Senate was supposed to adjourn its sessions on December 19. 

Earlier, Senate committee on finance Chairperson Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 may be sent to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for signing by Dec. 29, 2025. /mr