House proposed budget increased to P33.67B for 2025

The House of Representatives' proposed budget for 2025 has increased from P16.3 billion in the National Expenditure Program to P33.67 billion in the General Appropriations Bill approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee and ratified by both houses by Congress.

According to the Bicameral Conference Report on the proposed P6.325 trillion budget, the House’s proposed allocation was initially set at P16.3 billion before being increased to P33.67 billion at the bicam level.

The proposed budget for the Senate was also increased to P13.93 billion at the bicam level from P12.83 billion.

Following the ratification by the Senate and the House of the bicameral conference report, the measure only needs the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to become a law.

Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, an assistant majority floor leader in the House, welcomed the increase in the proposed budget in 2025 of the House.

“For one, these [old House buildings] were built in the 1980s, and a significant part of that increase in the budget of the House goes to improvements in our infrastructure," Acidre said at a news conference.

"We have over 300 members, and honestly, the rooms are not enough for all the offices of House members and conduct of committee meetings,” he added. 

 Acidre said the House was also growing "not only of membership but also in terms of capacities and activities."  

"That is why welcome and we thank the other members of the bicam panel for also considering that the House also needs to fix its facilities,” Acidre said.

Administration lawmakers have defended the reduction in the budget of the Department of  Education and the removal of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth's) government subsidy under the proposed  2025 national budget at the bicam level,

They said the moves were needed to ensure efficient budget use. 

Marcos said on Monday he plans to restore the DepEd budget after the bicameral conference committee reduced it by P10 billion. —NB, GMA Integrated News