Leaders from both houses of Congress said the President has other options to address the cuts in the ratified budget bill for 2025 even without reconvening the bicameral conference committee.
House Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez said: “I don’t think there’s any need for us to reconvene as a bicam. Because we’ve already ratified it in both chambers, so in both the Senate and the House. So we’re very satisfied with the versions.”
“Agencies always want to have more, but unfortunately…we have limited resources. So the balancing act for Congress and the Senate becomes very tricky,” he added.
Senate President Francis Escudero said the President has the power to reallocate an agency’s savings to pay for its future needs.
Escudero pointed out that from 2022 to 2024, some P52 billion was budgeted for the Department of Education’s computerization but over P36 billion was not obligated or spent.
In 2022, P13.068 billion was allocated but 10.034 billion was not obligated or spent.
Mr. Marcos earlier promised to look for funding for DepEd’s computerization program after Congress slashed P10 billion from its budget.
The President noted he is not inclined to use his veto powers on the ratified budget bill.
House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson and AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon said there has been no call yet for a meeting on the possible reconvening of the bicameral conference committee.
“As far as I know there was none because the bicameral conference committee report was already ratified by both chambers. Now the ball is within the hands of the executive department through our president,” Bongalon, another member of the bicam, said.
“The outcome of the budget that was ratified by the Senate as well as the House is now undergoing a thorough review of the Office of the President,” he added.
For his part, House Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said the House will study the viability of sourcing the budget for the DepEd augmentation from Congress.
