Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros explained the reason behind her “no” vote on the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the disagreeing provisions of House Bill 10800 or the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.
According to the senator, she voted “yes” to the Senate version of the 2025 budget, as she perceived that the proposed budget would provide sufficient funding to most critical and life-saving programs.
However, Hontiveros said that the bicam version of the 2025 national budget is concerning, noting the decrease in the budget of health and education sectors. She reiterated her previous statement on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) receiving ‘zero subsidy’ for 2025.
“I understand that PhilHealth has been mismanaged, but eliminating the state subsidy entirely is not the solution. Instead of abandoning our responsibility to millions of indirect contributors – including poor families, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable individuals – we should focus on replacing the incompetent management,” she said.
Hontiveros said this development is inconsistent with the provisions stated under the Universal Health Care Act, which mandates the annual premium subsidy for indirect contributors, and the Sin Tax Reform Act, which requires annual allocations to the National Health Insurance Program.
“These legal obligations cannot be disregarded simply because PhilHealth has excess or reserve funds,” she explained.
Hontiveros also noted the P37.59-billion slashed budget of the Department of Health (DOH) and P50-billion reduction for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“This raises a critical question: why are we defunding programs that directly save lives and improve the health of our citizens?” she said. “This decision leaves us in the dark about who is responsible for these significant budget changes.”
Hontiveros also noted the Department of Education reduction of P15.17 billion, and the Commission on Higher Education lost P11.77 billion. She expressed concern on the budget cuts in the education sector amid the learning crisis in the country.
“It’s incredibly ironic that while slashing funding for essential programs like health, social protection, and education, the bicam version simultaneously expands unprogrammed funds to P531.6 billion, higher by P373 billion compared to the NEP (National Expenditure Program),” she said.
“The bicam version of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill is crippled by misplaced priorities at the expense of our people’s health and our children’s education,” Hontiveros added.
