Marcos doesn't want a reenacted budget, Palace maintains

Malacañang on Tuesday maintained that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. does not want a reenacted budget amid delays in the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee.

At a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked how confident the Palace is that the recent developments in the bicameral conference committee would not lead to a reenacted budget.

''Alam po ng lahat, lahat po tayo pati po ang Kongreso, ayaw po ng Pangulo ang isang reenacted budget. Sa panahong natitira, alam natin na lahat ng kakayanan ay dapat na gawin para hindi mauwi ang isang budget na reenacted budget,'' Castro said. 

(We all know, including the Congress, that the President doesn't want a reenacted budget. With the remaining time we have, all measures should be used so that we will not end up with a reenacted budget.) 

''Ayaw po ng Pangulo niyan, kahit po ang Department of Finance ay nangangamba kung magkakaroon ng reenacted budget dahil marami pong madi-delay na proyekto kapag nagkataon,'' she added. 

(The President doesn't want that, and even the Department of Finance is concerned with a reenacted budget, as many projects could be delayed.) 

Live updates: Bicam hearing for proposed 2026 national budget (Dec. 16, 2025)

The national government may operate on a reenacted budget next year as the bicameral conference committee faces delays in deliberations on the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has warned. 

Lacson raised this possibility as members of the bicameral conference committee from the Senate and the House of Representatives reached a deadlock, triggered by disagreements on the allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for 2026.

The lawmaker said the Senate is also seeking clarity on the increased budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the rehabilitation, repair, and construction of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in 2026, as well as on the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program of the Department of Health (DOH).

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) defines a reenacted budget as a situation where the previous year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA) is extended and remains in effect for a preceding year until such time the Congress passes a budget bill into law. —VAL, GMA Integrated News