Palace: No talk of reenacted budget

MANILA, Philippines — Reenacting this year’s budget is out of the question for President Marcos and his officials, Malacañang said yesterday, as the administration continues to scrutinize the P6.352-trillion spending bill for 2025 that it hopes will become a law by yearend.

The proposed 2025 budget was supposed to be signed into law last Dec. 20, but the enactment was deferred because of a number of issues, including the “insertions” without appropriate documentation and the P12-billion cut in the outlay of the Department of Education (DepEd) that goes against the administration’s policy direction.

In a recent interview, Marcos said it would be up to the executive branch to “regain control of the spending program” since lawmakers have completed their deliberations on the budget.

The President met with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan yesterday at the Bahay Pangulo to review the spending bill.

The scenario of a budget reenactment was not brought up during Marcos’ meeting with his officials, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez.

“In the past two meetings that I attended with them, there was never discussion on that (reenacted budget),” he said.

Chavez said the printed copy of the budget was only received late Friday afternoon. Marcos hopes to act on the measure before the year ends, he added.

Unlike in other countries where the failure to pass a new budget leads to a government shutdown, the Philippines automatically reenacts the General Appropriations Act for the previous year if a fresh spending measure is not approved.

Previous officials have enumerated the disadvantages of reenacting a budget, saying it delays the implementation of key projects, affects job creation and poverty reduction efforts and impedes economic growth because of lower expenditures.

Last week, Marcos cited the need to put the proposed 2025 budget “back in the same shape” as the Executive branch had first requested, noting that several changes had been made with regard to the funding requests of various agencies.

But the President pointed out that he was left with just his veto power because the House of Representatives and the Senate had already approved the spending bill.

There had been suggestions for Marcos to return the spending bill to lawmakers so they could rectify the issues in some of its items, but the President dismissed the possibility, saying there is no such procedure allowed under the law.

In a recent interview, Marcos said the administration would work to restore the cuts in the DepEd budget as well as look into the projects with allocations to determine which of them are really needed.

“I want to be very, very sure that the budget for 2025 is directed at the important projects that we have prioritized, number one. And secondly, that there (are) stronger safeguards on the spending for the different programs, so we might have to assess the projects that were inserted,” the Chief Executive told reporters last Thursday.

“The insertions were not part of the budget request. What will happen? Are they really needed? Maybe some of them are not necessary. They can be deferred. We are starting to see some project proposals that do not have the appropriate program of work, no appropriate documentation. It was not clear where the money would go. These are the things we need to clarify.”

Appeal

Amid the controversy over last-minute insertions and adjustments in the 2025 national budget program approved by Congress, Catholic priests, Christian pastors and lay people belonging to the Clergy for Good Governance gathered at the EDSA Shrine yesterday to appeal to the government to make sure next year’s budget would be responsive to the needs of the marginalized sectors of society.

“We have reached a point of recognizing the ultimate power of God’s intervention. Not our timing, but God’s perfect timing,” said activist Franciscan priest Robert Reyes.

With him were Bishop Noel Pantoja of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, Bishop Efraim Tendero of the World Evangelical Alliance, Fr. Diony Cabillas of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the Aglipayan Church, Fr. Christian Buenafe of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines, Marita Wasan of the Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas and Bishop Roberto Gaa of the Diocese of Novaliches.

In their prayers, the religious leaders emphasized the need for God’s help in ending corruption, greediness and selfishness and in making the country’s top officials realize they should serve the people.

In a statement, the Clergy for Good Governance pointed out that “allocating P26 billion for the AKAP Program (Ayuda sa Kapos and Kita) – P21 billion for the House of Representatives and P5 billion for the Senate – while slashing vital funding for education and social services is a blatant misuse of public resources.”

It also decried budget cuts for food security and modernization of the armed forces, as well as the zero subsidy for PhilHealth and the hefty addition to “unprogrammed funds.”

“These allocations must be transparent, justified and subjected to rigorous oversight to prevent misuse and ensure alignment with national priorities,” said the group.

The group also urged the Christian faithful to “join us in demanding accountability and championing policies that genuinely serve the people – the very taxpayers who sustain our government.”

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines professor Cielo Magno, who had served briefly as finance undersecretary under the Marcos administration, called on the Chief Executive to veto or disapprove the entire 2025 budget and let both houses of Congress formulate it again.

She also said the public and concerned sectors may turn to the Supreme Court for help to contest numerous unconstitutional provisions in the 2025 budget.

Earlier, Marcos vowed to look into the P6.352 trillion 2025 budget, “going through item by item, line by line to see to see what is priority and what is not.” — Ghio Ong