Senator Imee Marcos called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defer signing the proposed 2025 national budget, emphasizing the need for further review and the prioritization of critical sectors and programs.
This is related to the House and Senate's ratification of the approved Bicameral Conference Committee report on the national budget.
The senator stated that it should be sent back to the Bicam to allow for a more comprehensive evaluation.
“Sana huwag nang pirmahan, bumalik sa bicam, suriin ng maigi, i-line by line, hindi naman kailangan ize-zero na muli tutal na-zero na nga ‘yung 4Ps natin. Nakaltasan ‘yung 4Ps ng P50 billion. ‘Yan ‘yung talagang poorest of the poor," Sen. Marcos said in an exclusive interview with DZRH's Damdaming Bayan on Monday.
Meanwhile, the bicam report on the 2025 national budget drew mixed reactions from the public.
Congress previously removed PhilHealth's budget for 2025 due to its reserved funds amounting to P600 billion, which reportedly remain unused and unutilized for its members.
Despite condemning the poor utilization of PhilHealth's funds, Senator Bong Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, maintains that its budget should not be reduced to zero.
Furthermore, a ₱12 billion reduction was made to the Department of Education's (DepEd) budget, as outlined in the General Appropriations Bill.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had ₱95 billion slashed from its budget, while the Department of Health (DOH) also experienced a ₱25 billion cut.
In parallel, Congress allocated ₱26 billion for the controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) program, which critics say is being exploited for political purposes as the elections draw near.
