Marcos may request Bicam to 'correct' 2025 budget — Lacson

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. can ask Congress to reconvene the bicameral conference committee to "correct" the 2025 General Appropriation Bill (GAB) for next year's national budget, former senator Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

In a statement, Lacson said this may be the scenario should the President opt not to veto the bill.

"While we respect the President's sole authority whether or not to exercise his veto power on the recently legislated 2025 national budget, the Constitution, specifically Article XIV Sec 5 (5), is unequivocal in giving education the highest budgetary priority," Lacson said.

"With that being said, in choosing not to veto, he can still correct this constitutional infirmity by appealing to Congress to reconvene the bicameral conference and rectify the budget imbalance between the education and infrastructure sectors and be compliant with the 1987 Constitution, while the Enrolled Bill is not yet submitted for his signature and approval," he added.

Article XIV Sec 5 (5) of the Constitution provides that "the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment."

On Monday, Marcos said he does not want to veto any line item in the budget, thus he is looking for ways to address the slash in the appropriations of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Senators Imee Marcos and Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri had also proposed that the President could return the ratified 2025 budget bill to Congress to address contentious budgetary allocations.

Last week, the bicameral conference committee ratified the P6.352-trillion 2025 GAB, which included cuts of P12 billion from DepEd and P30 billion from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The House of Representatives stood firm on slashing DepEd's budget, citing delayed procurement under its computerization program.

This developed after Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed dismay on the matter, which he said would affect the agency's computerization program.

Despite the criticisms, Senate Finance Committee Chair Grace Poe has maintained that the education sector remained a top priority in the 2025 budget.

Also on Tuesday, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said Marcos can increase the DepEd's 2025 budget by using billions of pesos of unspent funds from previous years.

Rally

Meanwhile at the House of Representatives, protesters on Tuesday called on the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2025 national budget to revisit what it had approved.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and allied groups were joined by Gabriela Women's Party, through its party-list representative Arlene Brosas, in the protest at the Batasan Pambansa.

Brosas criticized the reduction in budget for education, health, and social services, as well as the increase in the budget of national defense and public works.

"Hindi natin nagustuhan ang nilalaman nito. Maliwanag sa atin na hindi talaga napunta para sa social services, para sa health, para sa education, para sa pinakakailangan ng ating mamamayan. Kaya ang panawagan natin, ibalik sa bicameral itong version na ito. Maaari naman pong talaga itong gawin ng kasalukuyang Senate and Congress kasi may power naman talaga silang gawin ito," Brosas said.

(We do not like what the bill provides. It's clear that taxpayers' money do not really go to social services, health, education, for the needs of our citizens. So our call is to return this version of the bill to the bicameral conference committee. This can really be done by the current Senate and Congress because they really do have power to do this.) — with a report from Tina Panganiban Perez/ VDV, GMA Integrated News