The Makati Business Club (MBC) called for a more transparent and accountable process in finalizing the General Appropriations Act (GAA), particularly in the actions and discussions of the bicameral committee.
MBC commended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his initiative in thoroughly scrutinizing the bicam-approved 2025 budget before its final passage.
“However, we are alarmed by certain adjustments made by the bicameral committee to the 2025 GAA,” the group said in a statement.
It said that in the bicam-approved version, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was allocated a P1.1-trillion budget, exceeding the P737 billion allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd).
This represents a net increase of almost P289 billion for DPWH.
Prioritizing DPWH’s budget over DepEd’s may violate the constitutional mandate that education receive the highest budgetary priority, MBC said.
It also noted the P26-billion allotment given for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos sa Kita Program (AKAP), a financial assistance subsidy for “near-poor” families.
“There is no clear information on the program’s implementation or conditions for receiving assistance. Notably, the Senate has previously raised questions about this program’s funding,” MBC said.
It also noted the removal of the P74.43 billion subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), a critical agency serving as the state health insurer.
The group said the omission is particularly troubling given its importance in providing healthcare coverage.
According to the March 2024 Ulat ng Bayan Survey by Pulse Asia, the top three concerns of Filipinos are controlling inflation, increasing workers’ pay, and fighting graft and corruption in the government.
These priorities highlight the need for the government to focus on addressing supply-side inflation, improving infrastructure, bridging the workforce skills gap, and enhancing government efficiency and transparency to attract job-creating investments, it said.
MBC said the national budget should be designed to address the pressing concerns and needs of the Filipino people.