Marcos, team review 2026 National Budget after Congress ratifies GAA

The Executive Branch has begun a comprehensive review of the ratified 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) following its receipt on 29 December, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Recto said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his economic team are carefully scrutinizing the allocations and provisions of the proposed national budget to ensure its integrity and effective implementation.

The review, he stressed, aims to account for all changes made by Congress from the originally submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“The President and his team are scrutinizing all allocations and provisions to fully account for any changes from the originally submitted NEP,” Recto said.

According to the Executive Secretary, the review process is expected to take about a week.

He emphasized that the administration’s priority is to ensure that the 2026 GAA complies not only with legal and technical requirements but also addresses the needs and welfare of the Filipino people.

"We will ensure that the 2026 GAA will satisfy not only the legal and technical requirements but, more importantly, the needs of the Filipino people. This review is expected to take about a week," Recto said.

Recto also assured the public that government operations will continue smoothly even if the country briefly operates under a reenacted budget while the review is ongoing.

“A brief period under a reenacted budget will not disrupt government operations,” he said, adding that the careful review is part of the administration’s commitment to fiscal discipline.

“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 said.

Once the review is completed, the President is expected to decide whether to sign the 2026 GAA into law or exercise line-item vetoes on specific provisions.