Marcos scrutinizing ratified 2026 budget —Palace

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his team have received and are thoroughly reviewing the P6.793-trillion national budget for fiscal year 2026 ratified by Congress on Monday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Tuesday.

"The Executive Branch received on December 29, 2025 the ratified 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and is now conducting a thorough review to ensure its integrity and effective execution," Recto said in a statement.

"The President and his team are scrutinizing all allocations and provisions to fully account for any changes from the originally submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP)," he added.

Recto said the Executive Branch "will ensure that the 2026 GAA will satisfy not only the legal and technical requirements but, more importantly, the needs of the Filipino people."

It will take about a week for them to review the ratified budget thoroughly, he said.

"The public is assured that a brief period under a reenacted budget will not disrupt government operations. This deliberate review safeguards fiscal discipline and ensures that taxpayers’ hard-earned money is spent wisely and translated into benefits for the Filipino people," Recto added.

Recto earlier told GMA News Online on Wednesday that Marcos will sign the bill outlining the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 on the first week of January. 

The House of Representatives and Senate on Monday ratified the bicameral conference committee (bicam) report which outlines the P6.793-trillion national budget for fiscal year 2026.

Via a voice vote, the House voted for the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report in a plenary session that lasted below two minutes since session opened at 2 p.m.

It was Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor who moved for the ratification of the bicameral panel report, a motion seconded by his colleagues in a session presided by House Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson Meehan.

On the part of Senate, Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri moved to approve and ratify the bicam report on the disagreeing provisions of House Bill No. 4058 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), after Senate Committee on Finance chairman Sherwin Gatchalian presented the highlights of the measure. 

The motion was approved by Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.

House Appropriations Committee chairperson and Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Suansing said the proposed 2026 national budget is anchored on the people’s needs and does not fund any flood control projects, except for two items that are financed through foreign loans and other multilateral partners.

The ratified bicam panel report reduced the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways from P880 billion to P529 billion amid ongoing probe into anomalous flood control projects and kickback schemes. —KG, GMA Integrated News