House of Representatives Updates 20th Congress Session Schedule
The House of Representatives has officially adopted a resolution amending the 20th Congress session schedule. This change pushes the adjournment date for the first break to October 11, 2025, extending the session beyond the previously set date.
Assistant Majority Leader and Ilocos Sur Representative Ronald Singson led the move to adopt House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) No. 4 during the Tuesday session. This resolution modifies the legislative calendar for the 20th Congress’ first regular session.
Details of the Session Schedule Amendment
HCR No. 4, jointly filed by Majority Floor Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos and Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, shifts the last session day from October 3 to October 10. Consequently, the House will now break on October 11 instead of October 4, as originally planned.
The House has not yet provided an official explanation for the change in the legislative calendar. However, the Senate previously adopted Concurrent Resolution No. 5, which aligns with this updated timetable.
Senate Cites Budget Deliberations as Reason
During the Senate session, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva explained that the adjustment was necessary to accommodate the “timely transmittal, deliberation, and approval of the General Appropriations Bill” (GAB). This bill represents the proposed national budget scrutinized by the House.
“Mr. President, this is nothing new. We’ve done this before, and the changes in the legislative calendar are to ensure that we will have sufficient time for a thorough examination and deliberation on the proposed national budget in accordance with our constitutional duty to enact the annual appropriations law before the start of the next fiscal year,” Villanueva said.
Senate President Francis Escudero, who presided over the session, noted that the House had indicated it could transmit the GAB to the Senate by November 11 only if the schedule was adjusted accordingly.
Upcoming Budget Submission and Hearings
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is expected to submit the National Expenditures Program (NEP) for 2026 to the House on Wednesday. This document reflects the budget approved by the President for the upcoming fiscal year.
Although this submission will not be the latest under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term—since the 2023 NEP was submitted on August 22, 2022—committee hearings are anticipated to begin as late as September 1 due to procedural requirements.
Proposed Reforms to Budget Deliberation Process
House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Angela Suansing explained that hearings will start in September because of intermediary procedures. These include her proposed reforms that aim to increase transparency by allowing civil society groups access to the NEP for their review.
Suansing outlined three key reforms to the budget process: first, abolishing the so-called “small committee”; second, opening bicameral conference committee meetings to the public; and third, permitting civil society organizations to observe the budget process and raise concerns.
These adjustments to the legislative calendar and budget process reflect efforts to ensure thorough scrutiny and public participation in national budget deliberations.
For more news and updates on legislative calendar changes, visit Filipinokami.com.
