Measure backs President’s ‘legacy projects’
Voting 285-3-0, the House of Representatives on Wednesday night overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025.
Led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, the House passed House Bill 10800, which also contained the P1.3 billion budget cut from the Office of the Vice President.
The approval capped the almost two months of extensive deliberations on the money measure — from the time it was submitted by Malacañang to the House appropriations committee chaired by Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co until it reached the plenary.
Key areas in the proposed P6.352-trillion 2025 money measure include human and social development, job creation, and improving the country’s infrastructure and governance.
The 2025 General Appropriations Bill also supports President Marcos’ “legacy projects,” which focus on specialty hospitals, food security, and housing for the poor.
Education, the top priority, is allocated P977.6 billion to ensure accessible, quality education for all Filipinos.
Public works and highways will receive P900 billion, while the health sector will receive P297.6 billion to improve healthcare services nationwide.
Human and social development programs will receive P2.120 trillion, representing 33.38 percent of the budget.
The final version of the House approved measure shall be submitted to the Senate soonest.
President Marcos is expected to sign the money measure by December.
Mr. Marcos earlier certified as urgent the proposed 2025 budget bill on Tuesday.
Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe said the Palace certification enabled the House to approve the proposed budget on both second and final reading on the same day.
Romualdez earlier said the 2025 budget will “serve as an instrument for the government to spread the dividends of economic progress through various social protection and financial assistance initiatives, and funding for infrastructures like roads, hospitals, classrooms, seaports and airports, irrigation systems, and transportation networks.”
“Next year’s spending legislation will serve as our tool for sustained economic development. It will support the Agenda for Prosperity programs of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” he said.
“We hope our people will feel the benefits of growth through the programs intended for them in the national budget,” the Speaker added.
The House has been conducting marathon sessions every day since Monday last week, starting at 10 in the morning.
It extended its proceedings to Thursday and Friday last week to meet its plenary debate-approval deadline.
Earlier in the day, the House approved increased budgets for the Department of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Administration for 2025, setting them at P200.19 billion, 19.5 percent higher than the 2023 budget and P42.57 billion which was slightly up from P41.7 billion, respectively.
“Any additional budget that we could get from Congress will allow DA to step up efforts to ensure food security, modernize agriculture, and improve the lives of millions of farmers, fishermen, and their families,” said Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Lawmakers have emphasized the need to modernize Philippine agriculture and reduce dependence on food imports, aiming to boost farm production, improve farmer incomes, and address challenges in the agricultural sector, including low productivity, high costs, and the impact of climate change.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Congress leaders assure timely passage of budget legislation.”
