President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured the public that the proposed PHP6.793 trillion national budget for 2026 would be thoroughly reviewed and signed before the end of the year, Malacañang said on Friday.

The Palace emphasized that the budget measure must align with the administration’s priorities and remain people-centered.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said officials from the Executive branch will forego any holiday break to ensure that the proposed General Appropriations Act is thoroughly reviewed and scrutinized.

“Noong una talaga ay inaasahan ng Pangulo na mas maaga ang pagsa-submit ang kopya ng enrolled bill. Sa pagkakataong ito, pipilitin ng Pangulo, pipilitin na maaral mabuti at mapirmahan ang 2026 national budget bago magtapos ang taon,” Castro said.

“Pero ang tinitiyak ng Pangulo ay aralin, matutukan, mabusisi ang nasabing enrolled bill at matiyak na ang mga nakalagay dito ay naaayon sa prayoridad ng administrasyon, isang malinis, makatao, at nakatuon mga probisyon dito para sa taong-bayan,” Castro emphasized.

“Kung hindi magkakaroon ng tulugan, walang tulugan, gagawin po ‘yan. Pero ang gustong sabihin ng Pangulo, ang tinitiyak niya, bago siya pumirma, dapat naaral po itong mabuti, nabusisi, at kung may kailangan i-veto, ibi-veto,” she added.

Castro said the Executive will conduct its own review to ensure the budget’s integrity.

“Kung sinasabi ng Kongreso na napag-aralan ito mabuti, aaralin pa rin ito ng Pangulo at titiyakin ng Pangulo sa publiko na ito ay isang makatao at maayos na national budget,” Castro said.

The Palace Press Officer reiterated that President Marcos remains a strong advocate of openness, citing the President’s Transparency Portal initiative which provides public access to government bidding and procurement processes.

The Congressional Bicameral Conference Committee is scheduled to approve the 2026 national budget on December 28. The proposed General Appropriations Act will be separately ratified by the House of Representatives and the Senate on December 29 before it is submitted to Malacañang. | PND