By Brian Campued
Malacañang maintained on Wednesday that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. does not want a reenacted budget, underscoring the need to thoroughly study the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) despite the bicameral conference committee (bicam) hitting delays due to issues in budget allocations.
The Palace’s comment came after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday floated the possibility of the government working on a reenacted 2026 national budget.
Lacson, who is not part of the bicam, said that it is “better” to operate on a reenacted budget in January or even in the entire first quarter of 2026, “than an unchecked, corruption-conducive, and worse, graft-ridden GAA.”
“Maganda po ang suhestiyon ni Sen. Ping Lacson. Pero ang nais po talaga ng Pangulo ay hindi magkaroon ng reenacted budget,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
“At hindi pa naman po natatapos ang Disyembre. Dec. 17 pa lang po at sa tingin po ng Pangulo ay may sapat pang panahon para aralin ito,” she added.
Talks about a reenacted budget went abuzz as the bicam has yet to agree on whether to restore P45 million in budget cuts to the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
When asked which would be the “lesser evil” between a reenacted budget or an “unchecked” GAA, Castro stressed, “I don’t want to mention any lesser evil. I will mention a good option.”
“Ang good option—araling mabuti, hindi pa po tapos ang Disyembre,” she added.
Nevertheless, Castro reiterated that Malacañang remains optimistic about the passing of the 2026 National Budget on time.
Meanwhile, Senate Committee on Finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian and House Committee on Appropriations chair Mikaela Suansing assured that both chambers are working closely to avoid a reenacted budget and transmit the enrolled bill to the President before year-end.
The bicam will resume its deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget on Wednesday afternoon, with about 11 agencies remaining after the committee approved the budget of at least 20 departments during Tuesday’s meeting. (with report from Louisa Erispe / PTV News)
