Executive Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed on Wednesday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) in the first week of January.

“Yes, 1st week of January,” Recto told Palace reporters.

Earlier, lawmakers said the 2026 national budget bill is expected to be ratified on December 29, two days before the end of the year.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier warned of a possible reenacted budget, at least for a few days or up to a week, while the Executive Branch reviews the spending measure.

Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said President Marcos will not be taking a Christmas break, opting instead to use the period to review the proposed P6.793-trillion budget.

“As early as now, the President is already mobilizing his team to facilitate the immediate review of all amounts and corresponding provisions agreed in the bi-cam and trace the changes made from the originally submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP),” Gomez said.

He added that Marcos is committed to conducting a thorough review of the budget, similar to what he did last year.

“This thorough review will ensure that taxpayers’ money will be put to good use, contributing to the attainment of societal goals that will be felt by all Filipinos, consistent with his pronouncement in the last State of the Nation Address,” Gomez noted.

In a separate statement, Recto said Malacañang prefers to “review the budget carefully,” going through the measure “with a fine tooth comb.”

Despite the possibility of a brief reenacted budget, Recto assured the public that this “will not affect government operations.”