The Bicameral Conference Committee composed of lawmakers from Senate and House of Representatives officially convened Thursday to reconcile their versions of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.
At stake in the Bicameral Committee meeting is the proposed 2025 national budget amounting P6.3 trillion.
The meeting is being held at the Sheraton Hotel in Pasay City.
Both chambers will also finalize the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) which both houses slashed a huge P1.3 billion from the original proposal.
To date, both houses allocated P733 million for the OVP but some senators want a bigger funding for the said office.
Another issue to be resolved is the budget for the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) a proposal from the House which the Senate removed in their version of the budget.
The House proposed a whopping P39 billion for AKAP but the Senate removed the budget saying it should be merged with the budget for Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
These issues are to be resolved in the Bicameral Committee Meeting and if they agreed on the provisions both houses will ratify the bill separately.
Once ratified by both houses it will be sent to the Office of the President for signature.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.