PASAY CITY—The Senate of the Philippines delivered a decisive legislative move on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, passing the P6.793-trillion proposed national budget for 2026 on third and final reading. House Bill No. 4058, sponsored by Senator Win Gatchalian, secured a unanimous vote of 17-0-0. 

This swift approval sends the measure to a bicameral conference committee with the House of Representatives to reconcile differences and finalize the spending plan for the coming fiscal year. 

Senator Gatchalian notably described the budget as "more transparent, more disciplined, and more accountable" is set to prioritize key sectors, with a significant P1.37 trillion allocated to the education sector.

In addition to the General Appropriations Bill, the Senate also approved two major cultural measures sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda—Senate Bill No. 1425, or the Aklan Piña Conservation and Innovation Act, passed on final reading to establish a center in Kalibo, Aklan, dedicated to safeguarding, promoting, and advancing the region's centuries-old tradition of piña handloom weaving. 

Simultaneously, the chamber green light the Senate Bill No. 1507, which aims to institutionalize the Schools of Living Traditions (SLT) by amending the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. 

This measure elevates the community-based learning program where cultural masters transmit Indigenous knowledge and crafts into a national program under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, ensuring stable, long-term support for the preservation of the nation's diverse intangible heritage.