MANILA, Philippines— Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Monday raised the possibility that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could sign the proposed P6.793-trillion General Appropriation BIll (GAB) for 2026 by January.
This, despite the decision of the Senate and the House of Representatives to move their legislative calendar to accommodate the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 GAB.
Congress is set to ratify the bicam report on Dec. 29 before adjourning its session on Dec. 30.
But whether the president can sign the budget bill on Dec. 30 or Dec.31 remains uncertain.
“If they have started reviewing it from now up to that time, there is a possibility but I doubt it. I doubt it,” Sotto said when asked about it in an interview in the Senate on Monday.
“Perhaps sometime in the first week of January would be ideal, once they’ve already reviewed it,” he added.
Sotto though, reiterated that the signing of the enrolled bill could still be done before the end of the year if the Office of the President has already started reviewing it while the measure was being discussed at the bicameral committee level.
Discussions at the bicam level started on Dec. 13 and lasted only until Dec. 18.
“So if they have already started the review and we ratify an enrolled bill on the 29th, there is a possibility it could be done on the 30th or 31st, if they have already reviewed it. But if the review is not yet complete, then it’s really possible in the first week of January,” Sotto stressed.
Sotto vowed that as long as he is Senate president, he would see to it that they ratify an enrolled copy of the budget bill, not just the summary.
“An almost enrolled copy—or an enrolled copy that is sent to the President—so that it is completely clean and free of any insertions whatsoever,” he said.
The possibility of a reenacted budget was first floated by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson following a “deadlock” on the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
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