Senate approves P6.352-T budget for 2025 on final reading

The Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the bill containing the P6.352 trillion proposed national budget for fiscal year 2025.

The proposed measure was approved with 18 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and one abstention.

The budget bill was approved on second and third reading within one day as it was certified as urgent by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

In a text message, Senate finance committee chairperson Senator Grace Poe said the Senate's version of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) maintained the House of Representatives' decision to slash the budget of the Office of the Vice President to P733 million from the original proposal of P2 billion.

The Senate also stood firm on the removal of the House-introduced P39 billion for Ayuda para sa Kapos and Kita Program (AKAP)—a cash aid program for minimum wage workers.

"The budgets of OVP and AKAP will be determined during bicam. For now, OVP is at GAB level while AKAP is restored to the NEP level. We need to consult our House counterparts on these items," Poe said.

AFP modernization, others

Meanwhile, Poe said there are increases in the budget for the AFP Modernization, calamity fund, budget for the Philippines' hosting of the ASEAN Summit in 2026, procurement of new traffic management system or communications, navigation, and surveillance - air traffic management (CNS-ATM) system, among others.

No details on the budgetary increases have been provided to the media as of posting time.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III abstained in the voting for the 2025 GAB's second and third reading approval.

Apart from his continuous objection on the certification of the budget bill as urgent, Pimentel said he is adopting a "wait and see attitude" in the budgetary process, considering that there are still amendments that can be introduced during the bicameral conference committee meetings.

Pimentel stressed the need to monitor the funding for the DSWD's AKAP, DHSUD's housing programs for the homeless poor, DOTR's on hold projects, DPWH's flood management programs, DICT's flood management programs, DICT's flagship infrastructure projects, unprogrammed appropriations, police and military expenditures, contingency, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund, among others.

"Adopting this cautious, wait and see approach allows us to ensure that the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2025 which has the themed agenda for prosperity, fulfilling the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people, will truly and adequately address the genuine and authentic needs of the Filipino people," Pimentel said.

It was Pimentel who first questioned the significant increases in the 2024 national budget after the bicameral conference committee meetings last year.

He particularly questioned 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.

The controversial P26.7 billion for AKAP in the 2024 budget law was also included in the unprogrammed appropriations which was questioned by Pimentel. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News