Bayan Muna to question ‘railroading’ of 2025 nat’l budget before SC

The Bayan Muna Party-list will file a petition before the Supreme Court to question the passage of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which provides for the P6.352 trillion national budget next year.

According to Maki Pulido’s report in 24 Oras on Thursday, the group believes that there was no emergency situation that warrants the immediate passage of the measure at the House of Representatives.

It added that the approval did not undergo the right process as the GAA should have been approved in second and third readings in separate days.

“Bakit niyo minamadali? May gusto ba kayo ilusot? Bakit ayaw niyo ipakita sa kongresista ang budget na inaprubahan nila?” said Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares.

(Why are you rushing it? Do you want to sneak something in? Why are you hiding from the congressmen the budget they approved?)

But House Speaker Martin Romualdez is confident that the lower chamber followed the right process in approving the national budget on Wednesday, which was certified as urgent by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“That's their prerogative, so we’ll see them in court,” Romualdez said.

A measure certified urgent by the President authorizes Congress to approve the said bill on second and third reading on the same day.

“The parliamentary practice has been on the last day to take into a vote on second and third reading when it’s certified urgent,” said Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Representative Paul Daza.

After it was certified as urgent by Marcos on Tuesday, the House finished the deliberations on the budget of various agencies on Wednesday afternoon before the national budget was approved in the evening.

Daza was about to wrap up his interpellation on the proposed budget of the Department of Health when Agri Party-list Representative Wilbert Lee grabbed the microphone from him.

Lee wanted to raise questions regarding the budget of state health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp, which is an attached agency of the DOH. But the House leaders still carried the motion to terminate the period of interpellations.

Daza explained that there was just a miscommunication.

“There (were) negotiations with the Majority na dalawa lang ang mag interpellate, one for the Makabayan bloc and then me…what happened was there was a miscommunication. Congressman Wilbert lee thought that he could enter and make a quick manifestation,” he said.

'BICAM' should be public

The 2025 GAA will be next discussed in the bicameral conference committee. But for Bayan Muna, the meeting should be made public.

“Dapat ang bicam public, nakakanood yung publiko. Has anyone seen a bicam? No media has seen a bicam,” said Colmenares.

(The bicam should be accessible to the public. Has anyone seen a bicam? No media has seen a bicam.)

“Bakit kayo pumupunta sa mga hotel na mahal at public expense e libre naman ang Kongreso, Senate o House, lalo na bicam na lang ‘yun,” he added.

(Why do you even need to go to a fancy hotel at the public’s expense when you can freely use the Congress, whether it’s in the Senate or House. It’s just the bicam after all.)

''We'll see them in court''

Romualdez emphasized that the deliberations of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 underwent a very thorough process.

''That's their prerogative so we’ll see them in court. Ito ay very very thorough, dumadaan lang tayo sa normal na proseso pero kung meron silang course of action we will see them in court,'' the Speaker told Palace reporters on Thursday. 

According to former lawmaker Neri Colmenares, the group had filed two challenges regarding the certification of a budget bill as urgent by the President. He expressed belief that this was a ''shortcut'' in the legislative process.

A total of 285 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill No. 10800, while three voted against it. —Vince Angelo Ferreras with a report from Anna Felicia Bajo/RF, GMA Integrated News