Senators say President may return bill to bicam to address funding cuts
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said he is not inclined to use his veto powers on the proposed 2025 national budget even as he committed to find funding to cover the P10 billion cut in the Department of Education’s budget.
“We’re not yet at the point where we’ll need to exercise the veto power. I do not want to line item veto anything because that just gets in the way. So we’re still talking about it and trying to find a way,” Mr. Marcos said.
“The process is still ongoing. We’re ensuring nothing will disadvantage key sectors… And I think we’ll still be able to do it, to be able to do something,” he added.
Return budget bill to bicam
Senators Imee Marcos and Juan Miguel Zubiri urged the President to return ratified budget bill to the to address contentious budgetary allocations.
Zubiri explained that the President had the option to request the bicameral committee for revisions.
“The President can always tell the bicameral conference committee to return it and to do a better job and we can work overtime. That is possible. We don’t have a problem working during the Christmas holiday because there is no Christmas holiday for our poor kababayan. This measure is very important for them,” Zubiri said.
Senator Marcos added: “The President can order its return to Congress if necessary.”
Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel, for his part, said higher allocation for infrastructure projects than the education sector in the proposed 2025 budget could be a constitutional issue.
He also pointed out that the unprogrammed appropriations in the ratified bill was higher than the original unprogrammed appropriations proposal.
“So, there are two constitutional provisions affected here. The principal one is that the appropriations recommended by the President cannot be increased by Congress,” he said.
DepEd budget slash contrary to STEM thrust
Mr. Marcos said the P12 billion budget of DepEd for next year was “only sufficient to maintain what we’re already doing when in fact we have to do more.”
Education Secretary Sonny Angara lamented the bulk of the budget cut was for the DepEd’s computerization program.
“I think it is contrary to all our policy direction when we talk about the STEM development of our educational sector and then the continuing development,” the President said.
Angara, in response, said that he will coordinate with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on how to address the budget slash.
“We are very grateful to our President because he is finding a way to address this. He instructed me to coordinate with the other Cabinet secretaries, especially DBM, on how to find funding for the 2025 budget cut of DepEd,” Angara said.
He said DepEd’s budget can be augment from an existing item in the General Appropriations Act, or from unprogrammed appropriations.
Senator Grace Poe, head of the Senate finance committee, said despite the P10 billion reduction, the overall budget for DepEd in 2025 was still higher than this year’s allocation.
Poe said resources were prioritized for human capital, with the budget for teaching supplies allowance doubled from P4.825 billion this year to P9.948 billion in 2025.
PhilHealth has sufficient funds
Meanwhile, the President said he was okay with 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,” the President said.
He said 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 added.
For his part, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said P273 billion of PhilHealth’s budget next year will be allocated for benefit expenses, while P12 billion will cover administrative expenses, and P0.3 billion is designated for capital outlay.
Herbosa assured the public that PhilHealth can still provide benefits despite the slash in government subsidy.
Senator Marcos, however called on the President to restore the subsidy for PhilHealth as well the budget for flood control projects.
“I am calling on the Palace, please focus on the issues and funds of the budget, do it line by line. It depends on President Marcos to not remove the important ones. Don’t zero PhilHealth, the flood control,” the senator said in a radio interview.
Senator Marcos, who was among the nine senators who opted not to sign the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill, also sought the restoration of the P50 billion budget cut of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Big-ticket items
As to 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.
Mr. Marcos said he will sign the budget measure before Christmas. The Presidential Communications Office earlier said the signing will be on December 20.
“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 “Marcos justifies cuts in the 2025 national budget”
