Risa seeks reso to keep 2025 budget law from going over Palace-proposed P5.6 trillion

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday urged the passage of a resolution to prevent the budget law from ending up with a higher amount than the Malacañang-proposed P5.6 trillion.

Hontiveros made the suggestion to Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Grace Poe on the first day of the chamber's plenary deliberations on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), noting that this happened in the law containing the national budget for 2024.

For the opposition lawmaker, the increase in the amount which Congress had given authority to spend could be attributed to the "bothering changes in priorities in budgeting."

In particular, Hontiveros noted the funding of "hyperlocal" projects instead of big-ticket infrastructures such as flood-control projects, as well as the lodging of some priority budgetary items like the pension of the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) under the unprogrammed funds.

"Sa proseso po ng pag-apruba ng budget nitong 2024 GAA, nagkaroon ng nakakabahalang pagbabago sa mga prayoridad sa pagpo-pondo. Para pong naglaho ang malalaking pondo na dapat sana ay para sa mahahalagang imprastraktura... Pinalitan po ito ng napakaraming maliliit o hyperlocal projects, mga proyekto mas mainam sanang idinesenyo at pinondohan nang may ambag ang mga lokal na pamahalaan," Hontiveros said.

(In the process of approving the 2024 GAA, there were bothersome changes in the priorities for fund allocation. What was supposed to be a substantial amount for major infrastructure projects suddenly shifted to numerous small or hyperlocal projects, which are better designed and funded with local governments' contributions.)

"Sa mga nakaraang taon at dekada, may mga pagkakataon na pati ang budget sa mga mahahalagang bagay tulad ng pensyon ng mga uniformed personnel at pambayad utang ng mga obligadong bayarin ng DBM at ng Pangulo ay ginagalaw din at dine-demote sa unprogrammed funds," she added.

"Nakakabahala po na ang mga pondong para sa mga bagay na hindi maiiwasan ay binabawasan para pagbigyan ang mga gastusing pwede namang iwasan."

(In the past years and decades, there have been instances where even the budget for essential items like the pension of uniformed personnel and the payment of mandatory obligations by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the President were also realigned and demoted to unprogrammed funds...It's concerning that funds allocated for unavoidable expenses are being reduced to accommodate expenses that could have been avoided.)

To avoid the repeat of what happened in the 2024 GAA, Hontiveros urged Poe to lead the passage of the resolution against what she deemed mispriorities.

"Maaari po kayang manguna ang sponsor at chair ng finance committee sa pagbuo ng isang resolusyon, natin ng Senado, at isang general provision na matitiyak na susundin nang mahigpit ang prinsipyo na ang GAA ay hindi dapat lumagpas sa panukala ng NEP (National Expenditure Program) at resolusyon at general provision na titiyakin na ang mga pangako ng gobyerno para sa mga prayoridad ng NEDA ay hindi ilalagay sa kategorya ng unprogrammed fund?" Hontiveros said.

(Is it possible for the sponsor and chair of the finance committee to craft a resolution in the Senate and a general provision that ensures the principle providing that the GAA should not exceed the NEP proposal is strictly followed, and a resolution and general provision that will guarantee that the NEDA priorities are not placed in the unprogrammed fund category?)

In response, Poe said she agrees with Hontiveros on the latter's concern on GAA having a higher amount compared to the originally proposed budget under the NEP.

"Of course, kaisa niyo ako roon na talaga namang hindi dapat lumagpas," Poe said.

(Of course, I am with you in your position that the amount in GAA should not exceed the amount proposed in the NEP.)

However, Poe explained that she accommodates the budget proposals of her colleagues being the chairman of the Senate finance committee, but noted that they will scrutinize these projects proposed by the senator to ensure that there will be no duplication or mispriorities.

Asked if she also agrees with Hontiveros' concern that the projects vetted by NEDA should not be lodged under the unprogrammed funds, Poe answered in the affirmative.

However, Poe said that decisions on these matters are not only within their control as the final budget is approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

"There are certain processes, as you know, that this is not just a unilateral decision of the Senate, but we will endeavour to stick to whatever the NEP has given us to work with," Poe said.

"But again it will really need firm resolution within our group to push for this...there are other contingency factors that may have to be considered. But at the moment, I agree with Senator Risa that this is something that we need to work on," she added.

In December last year, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III
argued that the law on the 2024 national budget is unconstitutional due to the P450-billion increase in unprogrammed funds introduced by Congress which pushed the total amount of the budget this year over the P5.768 trillion national budget as originally proposed by the Executive Department.

In January, lawmakers from the House of Representatives brought the matter to the Supreme Court and urged the high tribunal to nullify the excess in unprogrammed appropriations embedded in the 2024 GAA. — BM, GMA Integrated News