President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday began a weeklong review in Manila, Philippines, of the ratified bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill after Malacañang received the spending measure on Dec. 29, according to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Recto said in a statement that the Office of the President now conducts a thorough examination of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to ensure the integrity of the budget and its effective implementation.
He said the President and his team scrutinize all allocations and provisions in the ratified bill and compare these with the items in the originally submitted National Expenditure Program.
Recto said the Palace review aims to verify and fully account for any changes introduced during the bicameral conference committee process.
He said the administration intends to ensure that the 2026 GAA complies with all legal and technical requirements set by law and budget rules.
Recto added that the review also seeks to confirm that the appropriations in the 2026 GAA align with the identified needs and priorities of the Filipino people.
He said the Office of the President expects to complete the detailed evaluation of the 2026 spending bill in about one week from its submission to Malacañang.
Recto said that while the review of the 2026 budget remains in progress, the national government will temporarily operate under a reenacted budget at the start of 2026.
He said the reenacted budget will cover government operations for the first few days of the new fiscal year until the President completes the review and acts on the 2026 GAA.
Recto said the temporary reenacted budget will not disrupt the delivery of basic services and regular government operations.
