‘Working holiday’ for Marcos due to budget review
Christmas won’t be the same this year for President Marcos since he will be busy reviewing the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, according to Malacañang.
“The President will be spending the holidays working,” Communications Secretary Dave Gomez told reporters in a message on Tuesday, two days before Christmas Day.
Gomez said Mr. Marcos and his team are conducting an “immediate review of all amounts and corresponding provisions” in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) prepared by the bicameral conference committee.
“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 (Sona),” said the communications chief.
Mr. Marcos said in his July 28 address he would not sign any new budget if it were not aligned with his administration’s priorities and if it still allowed fund misuse. But the Palace changed its stand this month, saying it did not want a reenacted budget.
‘Soft pork barrel’
Mr. Marcos’ scrutiny of the budget comes in the wake of the corruption scandal over allegedly anomalous flood-control projects, which the President himself raised in his Sona.
Despite assurances by Malacañang and Congress that the GAB would be free from corruption—as they cited in particular the zero allocation for flood-control projects—budget watchdogs and even some lawmakers have criticized what they described as unscrupulous line items in the spending plan.
Last week, Caloocan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David criticized the P51-billion budget for the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip) program, calling it a form of “soft pork barrel” since the aid required the approval of lawmakers.
House deputy minority leader and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima also criticized the bicameral conference committee for increasing, instead of removing, the P243-billion budget for unprogrammed appropriations.
Tight schedule
The President has only two weeks to study the GAB, which the committee completed only on Dec. 18 amid the looming possibility of a reenacted budget.
The Palace, however, expressed confidence that a “good” national budget would be signed by the end of the year at the latest.
Both chambers of Congress have extended sessions until Dec. 30 for the GAB’s ratification before its enactment by Mr. Marcos.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, co-chair of the committee together with Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing, said the President may sign the bill into law by Dec. 29 following its ratification also that day.
Sotto’s doubts
But Senate President Vicente Sotto III said it was still possible the national government would end up operating on a reenacted budget at the start of 2026.
Sotto had expressed doubt Mr. Marcos could beat the yearend deadline, as he would have “ideally” completed his review only by the first week of January.
Still, the Senate leader said a reenacted budget in effect “for a few days or so” would not adversely affect government spending. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO
