It only took 42 seconds for the House of Representatives to ratify the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026 and adjourn on Monday afternoon, Dec. 29 in what could be one of the shortest plenary sessions in the chamber’s history.

The presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Ilocos Sur 2nd district Rep. Kristine Singson-Meehan, resumed session at exactly 2 p.m. Monday.

This stemmed from the House's suspension of its session last Dec. 22. Because of this, a roll call of the attending congressmen wasn't required.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor then said, "We are in receipt of the [Bicameral] Conference Committee Report on the disagreeing votes on House Bill (HB) No.4058, the fiscal year 2026 [GAB]."

"I move that we ratify the said Conference Committee Report," Defensor said.

Singson-Meehan declared the motion to ratify the proposed national budget as approved after a simple voice vote (ayes vs nayes).

Following the ratification, the deputy speaker immediately adjourned the session--the last one for the year. The 300-plus strong House won't convene again until Jan. 26, 2026.

Everything took place in less than a minute--42 seconds to be exact. The lighting-quick proceedings left some solons, particularly members of the House minority bloc, disappointed as they had planned on explaining their rejection of the 2026 GAB in plenary.

Earlier Monday, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste announced in a Facebook post that he would deliver a privilege speech on the controversial files of the late former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.

"Mag-privilege speech ako sa Kongreso mamayang hapon para ibahagi ang files mula kay yumaong USec Cabral, pati na rin ang sekretong P18.58B MOOE (Maintenance and Other Operating Expensesl, a fund ng Kongreso, kung papayagan ako," Leviste said.

(I will deliver a privilege speech in Congress this afternoon to share the files from the late Undersecretary Cabral, as well as the secret ₱18.58 billion MOOE, a fund of Congress, if I am allowed.)

During a playback of the livestreamed session, a congressman can be heard objecting to the proceedings in the background. 

President Marcos is set to sign the proposed 2026 budget into law in the first week of January 2026.

While House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III didn't address his colleagues during the session, the importance of the ratification wasn't lost to him.

“Isa sa pinaka-mabigat ngunit pinakamahalagang tungkulin (na) ipinagkatiwala sa atin sa Saligang Batas – ang pagpasa ng pambansang budget (One of the hardest but most important duties entrusted to us by the Constitution is the passage of the national budget),” Dy said in a ensuing statement.

This will have been the first national budget to be enacted under Dy's speakership.