President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday defended the ongoing deliberations for the 2025 national budget, amid concerns about budget cuts on key government sectors.
In an interview in Malacañang, he stressed that there was no need for him to exercise his veto power, citing that the details are still incomplete.
“We’re not yet at the point where we’ll need to exercise the veto power,” President Marcos said.
“The process is still ongoing. The details are not yet clear, so we’re ensuring nothing will disadvantage key sectors,” he added.
However, the President defended the reduction in PhilHealth’s budget allocation, citing the state insurer’s substantial reserves.
“PhilHealth has P500 billion in reserve, while their yearly expenditure is less than P100 billion. Even with the reduced allocation, they have sufficient funds to continue operations,” President Marcos said.
He added that PhilHealth’s challenges lie not in funding but in processing claims efficiently.
“The priority is to digitize their system so people can access their claims faster. The problem isn’t about insufficient funds, but their capacity to process claims quickly,” he explained.
Mr. Marcos also addressed concerns over the P10 billion cut from the Department of Education’s (DepEd) computerization program.
“Reducing the budget for technology in education goes against our policies for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) development,” he said.
The President expressed optimism that the issue could still be resolved.
“We’re working on restoring it. DepEd’s original request of P12 billion was only enough to maintain current efforts, and we need to do more,” he noted.
On the P1 trillion allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Mr. Marcos called for a closer look at project priorities.
“We’re changing how budgets are structured to ensure big-ticket projects aren’t delayed,” he said.
The chief executive also highlighted the government’s commitment to improving the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio while maintaining essential spending.
“We’re ensuring our debt levels are manageable while investing in infrastructure,” he said.
While the President refrained from discussing specific legislative measures to resolve issues in the education budget, he assured the public that discussions with bicameral leaders are ongoing.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” President Marcos said.
The President reaffirmed his goal of signing the 2024 budget before the year’s end.
“We’re aiming to finish by Christmas,” he said.
“It’s not as quick as I’d like, but with the remaining three-and-a-half years of my term, we need to get things done,” he added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “old headline.”
