Manila, Dec. 15 -- The bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2026 national budget suspends its second conference on Sunday night without acting on the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) request to restore portions of its proposed allocation reduced due to construction materials price data (CMPD) adjustments.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon raised the appeal during the second day of bicameral deliberations, following a heated exchange between Senate and House members earlier in the session that led to a motion by House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing for the DPWH chief to personally explain the agency's position.

Dizon warned that the across-the-board application ...