PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would ensure that the proposed 2025 national budget plan would comply with the constitution, according to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Thursday.
This assurance came amidst controversies about the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), where there are allegedly unconstitutional items in the budget bill. Bersamin said that assessment on the spending plan is still being conducted.
“The President and the Cabinet are right now (with or without the calls) thoroughly reviewing the various items of the GAA to make them conform to the Constitution, and to see to it that the budget prioritizes the main legacy thrusts of the Administration,” Bersamin was quoted as saying.
“The President has been most prudent in programming and spending of our limited fiscal resources,” he added.
Marcos is expected to sign the PHP6.3 trillion GAA on December 30, 2024, erasing all doubts of a reenacted budget.
Concerns about possible ‘unconstitutionality’
The 2025 budget plan has recently ignited mixed reactions among lawmakers, with its alleged unconstitutional allocation. Senators have expressed concern about the cuts in funding allocations.
Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri was one of those who urged Marcos to look through the disputed provisions in the budget allocation. He said that addressing this concern would prevent further complications with the Supreme Court.
“That [addressing the 2025 GAA issues] would help stave off possible legal action in the Supreme Court which might render a decision declaring the budget unconstitutional and, therefore, delay its implementation and effectivity,” said Zubiri.
The two departments that will bear the most brunt in the 2025 budget cuts were the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
In the proposed 2025 budget plan, PHP12 billion will be reduced from DepEd’s budget— PHP10 billion will be cut from the Computerization program.
Meanwhile, PhilHealth who will get a zero subsidy due to its perceived lapses — still has PHP600 billion in its reserve fund.
Both budget cuts were deemed to be unconstitutional by some lawmakers.
In the DepEd’s case, for example, the Constitution states that the highest budget allocation should be given to the Education department.
But in the proposed bill, the Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) will get an allocation of PHP1.1 trillion, while DepEd with its budget cuts will only get PHP737 billion.
On the other hand, constitutional issues might also arise from the PhilHealth budget cuts. Sen. Risa Hontiveros even called this move to be “unfair, illegal, and potentially unconstitutional.”
“Denying PhilHealth support to pay the premium contribution of the most vulnerable is to deny Filipinos our right to health,” said Hontiveros.
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