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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
December 18, 2025 | 12:00am
Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the president of the Philippines, as seen from the Pasig River.
Gov.ph
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang will not settle for a thoroughly examined but reenacted national budget, saying there is still time to pass a spending bill that is not prone to abuses.
Senators have raised the possibility of the 2025 budget being reenacted in the first quarter after deliberations on next year’s outlay were stalled because of disagreements over public works allocations.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has said that a reenacted budget in January or in the first quarter of 2026 is better than an unchecked, corruption-conducive and graft-ridden appropriations law, a stance that he claimed is shared by the chamber’s majority bloc.
Speaking at a Palace press briefing yesterday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Lacson made a “good” suggestion but maintained that President Marcos does not want a reenacted budget.
“The month of December is not yet over. It’s just Dec. 17 and the President thinks there is still enough time to study it,” Castro said.
Asked what would be the lesser evil between a thoroughly reviewed but reenacted budget and an unchecked outlay passed on time, Castro replied: “I don’t want to mention any lesser evil. I will mention a good option. The good option: study it carefully. December is not yet over.”
The national budget for the previous year is automatically reenacted if a fresh appropriations law is not passed. Officials have warned that a reenacted budget could derail the country’s growth targets and hamper the implementation of key projects.
The government had operated under reenacted budgets during previous administrations, the latest of which was in 2019, when then president Rodrigo Duterte signed the appropriations law in April.
The deliberations on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 are under intense scrutiny because of the flood control scandal, which saw billions in public works funds funneled to non-existent and subpar public works projects.
For Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña, a reenacted budget is a “reenactment of corruption.”
Speaker Faustino Dy III said allegations that the House made insertions in the 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways are inaccurate.
